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THE MILWAUKEE COUNTY SCHOOL OF AGRI- 
CULTURE AND DOMESTIC ECONOMY 



REPORT OF A SURVEY 

MADE FOR THE 

MILWAUKEE TAXPAYERS' 
LEAGUE 



BY 



WALTER MATSCHECK 
Director of the Wisconsin Efficiency Bureau 



MADISON, WISCONSIN 
May, 1916 



THE MILWAUKEE COUNTY SCHOOL OF AGRI- 
CULTURE AND DOMESTIC ECONOMY 



REPORT OF A SURVEY 

MADE FOR THE 

MILWAUKEE TAXPAYERS' 
LEAGUE 



BY 



WALTER MATSCHECK 
Director of the \\ ijconsin Efficiency Bureau 



MADISON, WISCONSIN 
May, 1916 



^ 






i 
^ TABLE OF CONTENTS 



Chapter Page 

The Survey Itself 6 

I. Summary of Findings 7 

Lands, Buildings and Equipment 7 

School Records 7 

Students 8 

Enrollment and Attendance 8 

Course of Study 8 

Teaching 8 

Extension 9 

The School Farm 10 

Finances 10 

II. Discussion AND Recommendations 11 

The School' and the Community 11 

The School Farm 13 

Domestic Science 14 

Students and Costs 14 

Shall the School Be Abolished 14 

III. The School in General 16 

Organization 16 

History 17 

IV. School Records 18 

It is Recommended 19 

V. Land, Buildings and Equipment 20 

Land 20 

Buildings 20 

Equipment 22 

Summary 24 



— 4 — 

Chapter Page 

VI. Students 25 

Homes 23 

Ages 2o 

Previous Schooling 26 

Farm Experience 23 

Fathers' Occupations 25 

Length of Time Out of School 28 

Purpose in Coming to School 29 

Credits and Hours of Work 29 

Failures and Promotions 29 

Enrollment and Attendance 30 

VII. Graduates 31 



o ■^ 



VIII. Courses OF Study 3 

The Three and Four Year Courses 33 

Other Courses 36 

A Suggested New Course 36 

IX. Teaching Staff 37 

Training 37 

Salaries 3/ 

Hours of Instruction 38 

X. Teaching 39 

Classroom Observations 39 

Practices to Be Discouraged 44 

Supervision of Instruction 45 

XI. Extension 47 

Work Done 47 

Cost 49 

Summary 50 

XII. The School Farm 51 

The Farm Proper 51 

Dairy 51 

Costs 52 

Can and Should the Farm Be Made a Paying Propo- 
sition 53 



— 5 — 

Chapter Page 

XIII. The School Finances 58 

Financial Reports 58 

History 62 

Receipts — Analysis 62 

Expenditures — Analysis 63 

Elxtension 63 

Per Capita Costs 67 

Dormitory Costs 68 

Class Costs 68 

Accounting 70 

Purchasing 70 

Budget Methods and Procedure 70 

Summary of Finances 73 



THE SURVEY ITSELF 



This study of the Milwaukee County School of Agriculture and 
Domestic Economy was made for the Taxpayers' League of Milwau- 
kee. The affairs of the school have been under discussion most of the 
time since its founding in 1911, and it was felt that a thoro investiga- 
tion would clear up many of the questions which were being asked. 

The work of getting the information and writing the report occu- 
pied the time of the writer for three weeks. Miss Sara Rivet of the 
Central High School, Minneapolis, assisted in the work of class-room 
observation for three days. 

Throughout the study the survey had the co-operation of all offi- 
cially connected with the school. The County Board of Administra- 
tion, the superintendent of the school, and his assistants were all very 
glad to help. They gave information and records freely, and were 
anxious to do all in their power. The Board of Administration at a 
conference with the surveyor unanimously voted that they welcomed 
the study and would gladly co-operate in giving such information as 
might be asked for. The superintendent of the school went over the 
facts used in detail with the surveyor and has approved them. This 
attitude on the part of the officials has served to expedite the work. 

It is the purpose of this report to give all the facts as found from the 
study of the records, reports, documents and from conferences, con- 
sultations and observations. Each point made will be accompanied 
by facts verifiable by anyone who may wish to study them. Student, 
financial, and all other such records may be obtained at the school. 
Class and teaching reports are based on the survey's own observations. 
To officials and others who may wish to verify the observations, names 
and classes will be given that independent observations may be made 
if desired. 



CHAPTER I 
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS 



Lands, buildings and equipment 

The official inventory taken in October, 1915, gives a total invest- 
ment in the school of $345,963.84. There are 206 acres of land, 
four main instruction buildings besides the dairy barn, and $40,000 
worth of equipment. 

The buildings are more than sufficient to fill the needs of the school. 
Class rooms and laboratories are used but 32% of the time during the 
school day. The smallest room can, with but few exceptions, hold 
the largest classes. The school could very well have gotten along if 
two fewer buildings had been built. 

Equipment is equally lavish. The statement that it rivals that of 
many an agricultural college is borne out by observation and study of 
the equipment inventory. Tho teaching children of secondary school 
age and preparation, the equipment would be equally well adapted 
for college students, and is far beyond that included on the average 
farm. 

The expenditures for equipment have been made with little thought 
of amount of use to which purchases would be put, actual need for 
them, or the pupils for whom they were to be used. There is one cow 
for every five boys enrolled. There is one class room or laboratory 
room in the four main buildings for every seven pupils enrolled. The 
total school investment is nearly $3,000 per pupil in average daily at- 
tendance. 

School records 

School records are not adequate to give definite information on many 
school activities. Extension work can scarcely be even estimated 
either in time spent or in cost. Enrollment statistics, course statistics, 
room schedules, are only partly available. Cost figures of all kinds 
are in very bad form. The profit and loss, for example, on the farm 
could only be determined after much computation. The superintend- 



— 8 — 

ent makes no report of any kind in written form to the board of admin- 
istration. There is nowhere any place where a citizen can quickly get 
a statement of the financial and other affairs of the school. 

Students 

There was in 1914-15 a total enrollment of 191 — 124 boys and 
67 girls with an average daily attendance of 118. 59% of the boys 
and 52% of the girls in 1915-16 came from the city of Milwaukee. 
A large additional percentage came from other cities or towns. 74% 
of the boys and 70%, of the girls are of ordinary high school age. 18 
boys and 9 girls are over 20 years of age. A majority of the pupils 
have only an eighth grade education or less on entrance to the school. 
A large number have part of a high school course, but only a few have 
completed or gone beyond this. 

41, or 34%, of the boys had either no farm experience or three 
months or less. 36, or 30%, had one year or more. 

The children come from the families of the working man and of the 
middle class man. This is shown by the list of fathers' occupations. 
There are probably no pupils who come from wealthy families. 

Enrollment and attendance 

The enrollment has been decreasing steadily since the first year of 
the school — 1912-13. This year's figures are not yet available and 
it cannot be definitely stated whether or not there will be a further de- 
crease. 

Courses of stud^ 

The courses of study consist of a three year and a four year course 
in agriculture, a three year and four year course in domestic economy, 
and special courses — cooking and sewing classes, special eighth grade 
classes, and classes from the Home for Dependent Children. The 
four year course admits to the University. The three year course cpn- 
tains all that is in the four year course with the exception of the aca- 
demic work. The addition of academic work allows the school to 
give the equivalent of a high school course in connection with the agri- 
cultural course. 

Teaching 

Teaching was found to contain examples of good work and of poor 
work. No teacher or class was judged as a whole. The method 
used was to report what occurred in the classes visited and to point out 



those methods or practices which need to be encouraged or discour- 
aged. Practices seen which violate pedagogical principles are 

Book open before instructor 

Constant reference to text by instructor 

Lack of discipline 

Calling on pupil before asking question 

Preventing discussion on part of pupils by dragging them back to 
text or answering questions which other pupils could answer 

Discouraging questioning on the part of pupils 

Instructor doing most of the work 

Lack of explanation by instructor of work he is doing 

Lack of correlation between laboratory and class — between the 
work of different classes 

Not telling pupils what they are doing and why 

Not permitting students to go thru the whole process from begin- 
ning to end 

Distracting the attention of pupils by interruptions 

Lack of respect for teacher on part of pupils 

Cheating by pupils 

Indistinct speech on part of teacher and pupils 

Overmuch memory work and insufficient reasoning by pupils 

Lecturing to small classes 
Supervision of instruction is either inadequate or conducted with- 
out the spirit of helpfulness, so that it accomplishes little in the way of 
eliminating these defects. If supervision were properly conducted 
practices observed in the classrooms could not continue. 



Extension 

Extension work is unorganized and undeveloped. The largest feature 
is the special classes conducted at the school. Work which is done 
outside consists of lectures and direct aid to farmers. The latter would 
take the time of one man for two days a week. Yet it is valued in a 
school statement on the basis of a man's full time. 

The special classes consist largely of courses in domestic science which 
women from the city come out to take one afternoon a week during the 
spring and fall terms. These courses with a series of lectures in the 
Milwaukee Public Library, a two weeks' summer course for rural 
teachers with an attendance of thirty, and some lectures at social centers 
constitute the greater part of what is called extension. It is estimated 
that these activities cost one-sixth of the total operating expense, or about 
$8,000. No definite cost or time records are kept. 



— 10 — 

The school farm 

The farm runs at a profit if investment is left out of consideration. 
But how much of a profit, and just where it is, can not be determined 
from the school records without a large amount of work. It has a very 
desirable location as a farm for the intensive cultivation which prevails 
in the county. Of all its facilities — expert advice and assistance, the 
opportunity to teach the pupils by having them do actual work, — the 
school is not making the best possible use. It returns $ 1 0,000 gross 
receipts annually to the county of which from $3,000 to $4,000 comes 
from the dormitory. This leaves but $6,000 to $7,000 return from 
the farm, dairy and poultry. The net profit, not counting interest on 
investment is less than $1,500. The problem to be worked out, which 
there seems to have been little effort to work out, is how to so utilize 
the facilities as to get a maximum of teaching from actual farm work, 
and turn in at the same time a substantial profit. 

Finances 

The cost of the school is excessive. With an enrollment of 1 9 1 and 
an average daily attendance of 118, for the year 1914—15, the ex- 
penditures were $52,590.02. On the most equitable basis of figuring 
cost this is $334.52 per pupil, or $494.71 if the investment is consid- 
ered. Net cost (allowing for farm receipts) to the county and state is 
$281.35 without investment, or $441.54 with. On the basis of total 
cost (including investment) there is no tendency toward reduction. 
In 1912-13 it was $439.91; in 191 3-1 4, $463.96; and in 1914-15, 
$441 .54, or more than the first year. 

The dormitory is not run on a business basis. It does not have a 
deficit, but this is because investment is not considered, so it makes little 
difference whether it is kept full or not. With accommodations for 
40, 37 was the highest number in residence at any one time this year, 
and the present number is 20. 

Cost by classes varies from $2.67 to $26.32 per hundred student 
hours. This is the salary cost alone. No records of this kind are kept 
or worked out by the school. 

Budget methods are very rudimentary. The budget as submitted 
contains nothing beyond requests. These are approved, with a few 
changes, without supporting evidence of any kind. Among information 
needed and not given is 

Past expenditures — detail and summary 

Increases or decreases — detail and summary 

Reasons for changes 

Per capita costs 

Class costs 

Farms costs — exptenses and sales 

Work program for year 



11 — 



CHAPTER II 



DISCUSSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 



There are two alternatives open to the people of Milwaukee County. 
One is to abolish the school, as has been moved in the Board of 
Administration. The other is to improve work and lower cost so that 
the people receive a more adequate return on the investment made. In 
the following discussion, which embodies the conclusions and recom- 
mendations of this study, these two alternatives should be kept in mind. 
If the arguments presented, together with the detailed facts which fol- 
low, prove to the citizens of the county that the school fills no useful 
place in the community, or that it can not do so at a cost which is rea- 
sonable, then the course to follow is to abolish the school. If, on the 
other hand, it proves that the school fills a useful place and work can be 
so improved and cost so reduced as to justify its continuance, then the 
school should be continued. The one course that should not be fol- 
lowed is to permit the school to run on the present basis. 

The school and the community 

Milwaukee County is not to a very large extent an agricultural county 
on account of the fact that it includes Milwaukee — Wisconsin's largest 
city. The farming that is done is chiefly dairying and market garden- 
ing. The place of a school of agriculture in such a community would 
be to teach this kind-of agriculture and to improve this kind of farming. 
It may be taken for granted that this was the purpose in view when the 
school was established. For training boys in dairy work and for truck 
garden work there is obviously an opportunity in this county. Is the 
school meeting it? Dairy work is stressed more than truck gardening. 
Neither are made the prime purpose in a boy's course. The emphasis 
is placed rather on the general educational value of agricultural training, 
its value as a preparation for life. It is this which led to the adoption 
of the four year course. It was felt that some incentive was needed to 
induce boys to stay in school for three years or more. 

Here lies the difference of opinion — is it the purpose of the school 



— 12 — 

to train boys to be farmers, or is it to train them to go into other work? 
Is its purpose specific or general? If specific, then the work should be 
made more specific. If general, is there any reason for the equipment 
provided for specific work, and is a cost which is excessively high for 
agricultural training at all justifiable for general training? It seems 
safe to assume that the purpose in establishing the school was to train 
boys to be farmers and to better farm conditions. It is also safe to as- 
sume that the boys in mind as beneficiaries were chiefly farm boys. It 
has been asserted that the purpose was to give the city boy a chance to 
learn agriculture if he so wished, but it is hard to believe that this is to 
any great degree a "back to the farm" movement. 

If the school was established to reach the farm boy it is failing in its 
purpose. 71 of 121 boys come from Milwaukee City. 25 more corr.e 
from other large Milwaukee County industrial centers. Of the re- 
maining 25, part come from cities and towns outside of the county and 
a part come from small towns or farms within the county. 

15 of 24 boy graduates are now doing some kind of agricultural 
work. What becomes of the large number who never graduate is not 
known, except that it is stated that most leave school to go to work, and 
of these many go to farms. 

The school if it is to do its best work must get a larger proportion of 
boys who have done and who expect to do farm work. It may be that 
this is not possible. Every summer faculty members are sent out in the 
field seeking students, and so far they have not succeeded in preventing a 
decreased enrollment. The city supplies the majority of the pupils. 
So far as the survey could learn the early criticism that the boys who 
came from the ciiy were the "bad boys" and "outcasts" of the town 
does not hold true at present to a very great extent, tho it is probably 
true that there are some of these boys in attendance. 

Not only must the school get a larger enrollment of farm boys but it 
must get a larger total enrollment. The buildings and equipment are 
extensive enough for a much larger number of pupils. So long as a 
plant large enough to accommodate 300 to 400 runs with 1 I 8 the cost 
must be excessive. If enrollment were increasing 'the oudook might be 
more hopeful, but a steady decline since the first year does not indicate 
that the school will be used to capacity for some time to come. 

The other phase of school activity in relation to the community is the 
extension work. Is this filling a useful place? There is no doubt 
that much of the work performed is of value but the total amount done 
is not large. The greater part consists of extra classes at school in which 
effort is made to get men, women, and children out for a few days or a 
few weeks of special instruction. Women come from Milwaukee for 
cooking, sewing, and millinery; rural teachers come for an eight Satur- 



— 13 — 

day course, farmers come for a three day course. The members of the 
faculty give lectures in the city and in social centers. They also do di- 
rect work with the farmers which as has been stated would take the 
time of one man two days a week. 

This is all very good but a large part of it is not really extension at 
all. The real extension work, out around the county, does not seem to 
require much time. This may be due to lack of aggressiveness on the 
part of the school. It is more likely that it is due to the fact that Mil- 
waukee County is largely industrial. This is a fact that must be faced. 
Agricultural extension work must necessarily be limited. This does not 
mean that the school is reaching the limit. There is no doubt much 
more opportunity, but it will require effort to develop it. Farmers* in- 
stitutes away from the school, a short course in special agricultural sub- 
jects, correspondence work, club and social center work, farm and home 
demonstrations, are all fields for development. Extension work is at 
present carried into the city. A course of popular lectures on farm 
topics is given in the public library. It may be asked whether it would 
not be more productive of good to talk to seventy-five farmers on an 
agricultural topic than to seventy-five city people. 



The school farm 

Even though Milwaukee County is not a farming county, it does have 
dairying, fruit and berry growing, and truck gardening. It is along 
these lines that the school must develop. So far as it emphasizes any 
part of its work it already emphasizes dairying. The dairy work, or- 
chard work, and garden work should all be made to pay a part of the 
expense of the school. This should be done by a larger use of student 
work. The teacher who cannot inspire the pupil with a sufficient liking 
for the work to cause him to feel that it is part of his duty and education 
to make the school farm pay has no place in a school of this kind. No 
more has the pupil who does not take sufficient interest to want to learn 
by actual experience how to make a farm pay, a place in the school. 
Here lies the opportunity of the school if it has any. The school can- 
not be conducted along the lines of most agricultural schools. It has a 
special problem in location, in pupils, and in work to be done. It will 
have to meet this problem in a new way. If the leadership is strong 
enough and the vision big enough it can work out a successful institution 
which will be an asset to the community. But it will have to work out 
each problem that comes up. It will have no precedents to follow. 
And the first step will be to break away from many old ideas. A course 
coextensive with the agricultural year should be a suggestion worth trying 
out. 



— 14 — 

Domestic science 

The discussion up to this point has dealt mainly with the agricultural 
part of the school. The reason is that the agricultural part is the most 
important part in enrollment, in expenditures, and in every other way. 
Domestic science teaching in this school does not have a special problem 
to the extent that agriculture has. Its main work is to learn how to 
connect the work in domestic science with the work in agriculture. Girls 
take very little work in agriculture in the school, tho there are many 
phases that are of especial interest in connection with domestic science. 

Domestic science teaching can be directly connected with the idea of 
an agricultural school suited to Milwaukee County needs. Greenhouse 
instruction, horticulture, and landscape gardening can be given. Gar- 
dening, fruit growing, and dairying all lead to the home. The do- 
mestic science department can work out methods of utilizing the products 
of the farm in a way which will be of benefit to the pupils and to the 
school. Wisconsin is one of the greatest canning states in the country. 
Here is an industrial-agricultural opportunity for study. 

Students and cost 

Students come to the school to be taught. The Instruction they re- 
ceive is expected to train them to become agriculturalists, if not farmers. 
They now receive instruction which for its cost should be of the best. 
Specific defects have been pointed out elsewhere in this report. Here we 
shall call attention to the fact that it is possible to teach a practical sub- 
ject in an unpractical way. This can be overcome by more outside 
work ; by giving each pupil something definite to do ; by giving him some 
responsibility; by making him part of the whole scheme of the school 
and showing him where he fits in this scheme. 

That the school is not increasing its attendance indicates that the 
school is failing to impress the people with the idea that it can make it 
worth while for them to send their children to it. That it is not decreas- 
ing its too high cost indicates that it is not giving attention to the fact 
that it is a public institution and must answer to the public for its con- 
duct. A per capita cost of $442 is a cost which demands a reason or 
a lowering. Even the highest class of teaching would not account for 
it. This item alone will justify serious questioning by the board of ad- 
ministration, the board of supervisors, the state, and the taxpayers. If 
this cost cannot be brought down to a reasonable figure the school can- 
not justify its existence. 

Shall the school be abolished? 

This question the report will not attempt to answer. It is a question 
which the county authorities and the public must decide. It is the 



— 15 — 

function of this report to give the situation and the facts on which to base 
a decision. The opportunities for improvement and lines to be fol- 
lowed, the places where improvements are essential, suggestions and 
recommendations, are given. If it is felt that on the showing made the 
school should continue, it should be allowed another chance. If it is 
felt, on the other hand, that the school fills no need, that it cannot be 
improved to the point where it will be justified on the basis of work 
and cost it will be abolished. The difficulties to be overcome may sug- 
gest that this will be the easiest way out. But there is a possibility of 
a very successful institution if real effort is made and real thought given 
to the subject. 

This question of abolishing the school has been discussed at such length 
because of the motion made in the board of administration on April 26th 
to close the school and use the buildings for other purposes. If it is de- 
cided to do this there are many uses to which the county could put the 
buildings. A plan has already been suggested in the board of ad- 
ministration. 

It should be remembered that abolition is not the only remedy. If 
the school were run on a smaller building and equipment scale there 
would be reductions in the upkeep expense. One or two buildings 
might be closed if the county could find other suitable use for them. 
This reduction could be accompanied by reductions along other lines. 
Such a course would give the school an opportunity to grow. If it is 
possible for it to increase its attendance in the future so that the buildings 
would all be necessary they could again be made available. 



— IG — 



CHAPTER III 



THE SCHOOL IN GENERAL 



Organization 

The Milwaukee County School is one of the schools established un- 
der the state law giving state aid to any school maintained by one or two 
counties for the purF>ose of giving instruction in agriculture and domestic 
science. The 1915 legislature limited the giving of state aid to seven 
such schools, which is the number now in existence. The state agrees 
to pay the salaries of teachers up to $6,000 a year for any school where 
the average daily attendance is less than 1 12, $7,000 where such aver- 
age daily attendance is 1 1 2 and less than 1 37, and $8,000 where such 
average daily attendance is 137 or over. Under this provision the 
Milwaukee County school received $7,000 from the state in 1914—15. 

Originally each of the schools was governed by a "County School 
Board" consisting of two members appointed by the county board of 
supervisors, and the county superintendent of schools. This system 
still obtains in all of the schools except the Milwaukee County school. 
In 1915 a state law was passed providing for a "County Board of Ad- 
ministration" in Milwaukee County which should have charge of eight 
different county institutions, one of which was the School of Agriculture 
and Domestic Economy. This board consists of five members — thr^e 
appointed by the county board of supervisors, and two by the governor 
of the state. They hold office for five years, and receive annual salaries 
of $3,000.00. Provision is made for the expiration of the term of 
office of one member each year. This law was challenged, and a de- 
cision in which it was upheld was rendered by the Supreme Court of 
the state on April 4, 1916. 

The state superintendent of public instruction and the dean of the 
state college of agriculture approved the course of study of the school at 
the time of organization, as required by law. The school makes an 
annual rep)ort of enrollment, attenda.Mce, and finances to the state super- 
intendent. On the basis of this report the superintendent authorizes the 
payment of state aid. 



— 17 — 

History 

The early days of the school were unhappy. Due to lack of fore- 
sight or insufficient investigation of the field for such a school, it started 
out on an inflated basis. The idea of a county institution to instruct 
in the practical subjects of agriculture and domestic science took deep 
root. It was to be open to pupils who could not by reason of lack of 
training, age, money, or other reason, go elsewhere. As is often true 
in such cases no thoro investigation was made. Instead a very com- 
plete plant was built and then by "booming" advertising methods a large 
enrollment was built up the first year — 1912—13. In this year 243 
pupils entered. That this was not what should have been normally 
expected is shown by the fact that in the next year, 19! 3— 14, the en- 
rollment dropped to 206, and in 1914-15 it went still lower to 191. 
Average daily attendance in the same years was 146, 135, and 1 18. 
The 1915—16 figure will not be available until the end of the present 
school year. 

The present superintendent entered on his duties with a heritage of 
over-expansion and a school debt of $10,000.00, handed down to him 
by a predecessor. 

This brief touch of history is given only for the purpose of furnishing 
a background for a clearer understanding of present conditions. 



— IB- 



CHAPTER IV 



SCHOOL RECORDS 



In making this study one of the main difficulties encountered was the 
lack of adequate records in the office of the school. In this respect it 
is like many small schools where for the ordinary purposes of the super- 
intendent and his assistants it is possible to keep a working knowledge 
of each pupil, of buildings, of classes, etc., in mind without the use of 
detailed written records. But for the purposes of the board of admin- 
istration, of the board of supervisors, and of interested citizens, written 
records which tell of actual conditions are a necessity. They are also 
necessary for the superintendent if he desires to make a written report. 

Data which the survey could not get at all, or could not easily get 
from records at the school, follow 

Present enrollment of students by courses 
Present enrollment of students by subjects 
Place of meeting (room and building) of classes 
(Except by working thru class schedule) courses, number of 
hours of class, time of meeting of classes, courses of each in- 
structor 
Cost and expenditure of farm, with profit or loss 
Cost and expenditure of dairy, with profit or loss 
Cost and expenditure of cafeteria, with profit or loss 
Capacity of rooms (class, laboratories, etc.) 
Amount of actual work required of pupils on farm, in dairy, etc. 
Amount, character, distribution, and cost of extension work 
Definition of the division of powers or functions as between the 
superintendent, the board of administration, and the board of 
supervisors 
Record of supervision of instruction 
Whenever in this report data on these subjects is used they were gotten 
by slow, roundabout methods, were made from actual observation with- 
out records, or are estimates of the school officers or the surveyor. 

A system of records \\'hich will make it easier for the board of ad- 
ministration or others to find any facts they desire to know about the 



— 19 — 

school is absolutely necessary for the efficient administration of the 
school. 

// IS recommended 

That a card system of student records be installed. At present 
there are enrollment cards which are seldom completely filled out. It 
should be insisted on that these give all the information called for. The 
record of pupils, subjects, marks, credits, date of entrance and gradua- 
tion or leaving school are now typewritten and inserted in a book. A 
system of cumulative records sheets on which marks would be entered 
at the end of each term would make each record available complete at 
any date and would save labor. 

That reports on enrollment, attendance, classrooms, and hours be re- 
quired of instructors or otherwise obtained and filed in easily accessible 
form. Daily attendance records are kept at present in an attendance 
book. These are necessary to determine average daily attendance. 

That a record be kept of all extension work showing time spent, cost, 
kind of work, number of calls, attendance at meetings. 

That the present records kept by the farm foreman on cost of farm 
per field, and all records of sales, transfers and costs, be put in such 
form as to show definitely cost of each department, and especially of 
farm, dairy, dormitory, and cafeteria. 

That all other records which are now kept only in the mind of the 
official or officials concerned be put in such form as to make them readily 
usable by others. 

Another important document which is wholly lacking is an annual or 
biennial report by the superintendent. No written repKjrt of any kind 
is now made to the board of administration. While the school was 
governed by a separate board, the bookkeeping was done in the school 
office and the superintendent made a quarterly financial statement to the 
board. Since most of the bookkeeping has been transferred to the cen- 
tral office ho report of any kind is made, except such as is sent in letters 
to the board in answer to inquiries. It is recommended that the super- 
intendent make an annual report to the board of administration giving 
financial records, enrollment and attendance figures in detail, teaching 
force, course of study, improvements and changes made, new work or 
lines of work added or planned, graduates, extension work, special work, 
and all other important information having to do with the work of the 
school. This report should be printed and made available to the pub- 
lic. Such a report would require for its preparation most of the records 
reconunended. 



— 20 



CHAPTER V 



LAND. BUILDINGS AND EQUIPMENT 



Land 

The school owns 206 acres of land including the campus proper. 
This land was originally purchased for $350 an acre, making a total in- 
vestment of $72,100. The farm and campus are located about a mile 
from the city of Wauwatosa and 5 miles from the business district >f 
Milwaukee. (For use of farm, see Chapter XII.) 

Buildings 

There are four main buildings used for class purposes. In addition 
there are the dormitory, the power house, greenhouses, dairy barn, poultry 
sheds, and other small buildings. The inventory values these as follows 



Administration Building 

Dairy Building 

Dormitory 

Farm Mechanics Building- _ 

Horticulture Building 

Power House 

Dairy Barn 

Brick House 

Horse Barn 

Others 



$212,000 



8.400 
5,000 
3,200 
1.250 
4.027 



Total $233,877 



These four class buildings and the greenhouses contain 23 class- 
rooms and laboratories. The classrooms seat from 20 to 56 students 
each. In addition to the classrooms and laboratories there are: in the 
Administration Building — locker room, rest rooms, library, practice 
home (with bed and bath room, drawing room, dining room, kitchen and 
large pantry), gymnasium (entire third floor) ; in the Dairy Building — 



— 21 — 

music or assembly room with chairs for 1 60, and dairy room with mod- 
ern machinery occupying the entire basement; in the Farm Mechanics 
Building — machine shed. 

For the second term of the present year seven classes met the first 
period Monday, six the second, six the third, five the fourth, nine the 
fifth, six the sixth, nine the seventh, and nine the eighth, or a total of 57 
classes daily. To carry this load, for the whole day there were twenty- 
three classrooms and laboratories available eight periods each, or 184 
periods. This means a percentage of room use for the day of 31 per 
cent. On Tuesday the percentage was 32, on Wednesday 33, on 
Thursday 32, (one period was given over to assembly and is not 
counted), on Friday 34. There are no classes on Saturday. For the 
whole week the percentage was 32 (total number of periods use pos- 
sible divided by total use actual). 

For the first period throughout the week the percentage of use was 33, 
for the second period 32, for the third period 34, for the fourth period 
29, for the fifth period 34, for the sixth period 30, for the seventh 
period 35, and for the eighth period 31 . 

None of these figures takes into account the work which was done out 
of doors, or in other than classrooms or laboratories. It does, however, 
include two rooms in the greenhouse which cannot be used all the time 
because an insufficient number of classes use greenhouses. It is also 
true that in some laboratories there are not sufficient drawer arrange- 
ments for full use. This could be overcome in case of necessity by a 
system of lockers. 

Due to the lack of complete records showing in what rooms classes 
meet and numbers of pupils in classes it was not possible to show for 
each room and building percentage of time used, and proportion be- 
tween size of classes and seating capacity of rooms. For a number of 
classrooms and classes, however, it is possible to show this prop>ortion, 
and the random illustrations will be sufficient to show the general relation 
One classroom with seats for 32 held classes of 1 3, 2 1 , 6, 4 
One with 23 seats held a class of 7 

Two rooms with seats for 20 and 32 held classes of 5, 10, 9, 14, 
8, 2, 12, 22 
The largest class had an enrollment of 30. The smallest classroom 
had 20 seats. The largest classroom had 56 seats. There were only 
twelve classes (meeting 43 times a week out of a total of 289 class 
meetings) in the second term which could not be seated in the smallest 
classroom. 

The conclusion seems inevitable that the school has more room than it 
can use. After providing for extra rooms for all purposes including rest 
rooms, store, practice home, locker rooms, music rooms, there remain 



so many class rooms that they are used only 32% of the time during the 
school day. Some rooms are used more and some are used practically 
not at all. Not only this but rooms used are never filled to capacity or 
nearly capacity. 

It is not here assumed that all room should be used to 100% capacity 
either in time or pupils. 100','. might be the ideal, 75% might be the 
possibility in the average school, but 33% shows poor foresight, inade- 
quate previous investigation, and extravagance. 

This is the condition which exists. Merely from the point of view of 
use it is hard to see what can be done about it unless one of the buildings 
can be used by the county for other purposes. The main interest in this 
showing will appear, however, when considered in relation to other points 
to follow. 

Equipment 

When considered in relation to the ages, training, and purposes of 
pupils enrolled the equipment of the school is very extensive. On a 
smaller scale the equipment of the agriculture department rivals that of 
many an agricultural school of college grade. In domestic science it is 
equally lavish, including a completely furnished practice home of four 
rooms, cooking laboratory with all supplies, and a sewing laboratory 
with eight sewing machines. 

To illustrate agricultural equipment the dairy inventory will be a very 
good example. This is taken from the complete inventory of school as 
made October 8, 1915. To save space only the larger and more costly 
articles are given here. 

No. Article. Cost. 

1 Milk Fever Outfit $600 

.S No. 15;{0 Tension Bal •• 45 . 00 

1 50 Gal. Dairy Past. Mixer and Starter V. & T 121.50 

1 No. 1— 20th Century Heater 65.25 

1 No. 4D Disbrow Churn 65 . 00 

1 100 Gal. Cr. Eipener 150.00 

6 8 Gal. Hercules Milk Cans 12.60 

1 50 Gal. Haugdahl Starter Can 65 . 00 

1 Cherry Tubular Cooler 61.75 

1 C. & B. Outfit, 2 Type Al. upright brine freezer 265.00 

20 Royal Stein 29x Ideal Double Boilers S.OO 

1 24 "Bottle Facile Tester 20.00 

5 8 Bottle Facile Hand Tester 40.00 

6 8 Gal. Elgin Cans 7" neck 13.50 

66 Durand Steel Lockers and Fittings 251.85 

1 10 H. P. 18,220 volt 60 Cycle Inductive Motor with Sliding 

Base 183.12 

Dairy Motor Installation 54.87 

1 TVi! H. V. 865 RI'M Motor with sliding base. Paper pulley 

and starting compensator No. 457,75:5 166.25 

Installation b-e Ma<-hine Motor 15.65 



— 23 — 

1 2 H. P. 560 EPM Motor with sliding base and pulley No. 

589484 91 . 80 

Installation of Motor 17 . 86 

1 Level Hand Butter Worker 3.50 

1 400 lbs. D. B. Fairbanks Scales 16.50 

6 8 Gal. Milk Cans 13.50 

1 No. 1 Up-to-date Butter Printer 3.20 

2 Doz. 30 lb. returnable Butter Boxes 5 . 00 

1 No. 2 Conical Milk Cooler 5.60 

Steam Faucets and Connection Testers 161 .50 

1 Refrigerating Plant 1,542.25 

To furnishing and connecting cork insulation 487.00 

3 Wash sinks 102.00 

3 Gal. Lab. Sinks 49.50 

Sterilizer 237.41 

Cheese Marking Equipment 63 . 73 

Stock. 

1 Guernsey 300.00 

1 Jersey 250.00 

1 Regis. Holstein Female 500 . 00 

1 Regis. Holstein Male 200.00 

1 Cow 100.00 

1 Grade Holstein 125 . 00 

8 Milch Cows 1,000.00 

3 Cows 380.00 

3 Holstein Cows 275.00 

2 Grade Holstein Cows 180.00 

3 Grade Holstein Cows 300.00 

1 Poland China Sow 45.00 

1 Pure Bred Durve Jersev Sow 50 . 00 

1 Berkshire Gilt Bred. . ' 35.00 

5 Grade Holstein Heifers li/o years old 300. 00 

1 Purebred Holstein Calf 100.00 

1 Purebred Guernsey Bull Calf 75.00 

6 Grade Holstein Calves 180 . 00 

15 Shoats 100.00 

7 Little Pigs 20.00 

The total cost value of all dairy equipment including live stock, and 

items not here listed is $10,274.47. with au estimated depreciation of 
$801.96. 

The library of the school is not so complete as is equipment along 
other lines. It contains 65 1 volumes of reference books, 1 60 volumes 
of general reference books (academic works, dictionaries, etc.) 263 
volumes of fiction, and a large number of text books which are loaned to 
pupils. About 40 journals are subscribed to regularly and these are 
agricultural and trade papers in large part. There is also a collection 
of bulletins. 

The total estimated present value according to the inventory of sup- 
plies and equipment for all departments is $39,986.84. 

The extensive equipment of the school means that there has been 
plenty of money available for almost anything that was wanted. Th.s 
encouraged and brought about extravagance. The work along the same 
lines in other schools in the state teaching agriculture with a fractional 



— 24 — 

part of the equipment would tend to show that it was in large part un- 
necessary, 

A number of questions arise from these facts: 

1 . In order to teach agriculture to boys of from thirteen years of age 
up, a large proportion of whom are city boys, is it necessary to have the 
equipment of the most specialized farm in each department? 

2. Will the training thus given teach such boys the methods of prac- 
tical farming, or will it tend to make them helpless on a farm without 
much high-priced, ready-made equipment at hand? 

3. Will such completeness not prevent the inculcation of habits of 
self-reliance, invention, and ingenuity? 

4. Is a herd of 38 necessary for a school enrolling 1 2 I boys in the 
department of agriculture, only a small proportion of whom take dairy- 
ing at any one time? 

As in the case of buildings this reflects on past methods. With the 
extensive equipment on hand nothing additional need be purchased for 
some time to come even with a large increase in the number of students. 
The need of careful investigation of all requests for large items of equip- 
ment is apparent, and in the future such requests should be allowed only 
after a complete demonstration of actual necessity. The new board of 
administration is employed for full time. Devoting their full time it 
should be possible, and it should be a rigidly enforced duty, for them to 
see that every financial request they make of the county board of super- 
visors represents a thoroughly investigated and demonstrated need. 

Summary 

The total financial investment represented by the school is 

Equipment and supplies $39,986.84 

Buildings 233, 877.00 

Land 72, 100.00 



$345,963.84 



On the basis of the 1 9 1 4- 1 5 enrollment of 1 9 1 pupils this is $ 1 ,8 1 1 . 3 3 
per pupil. Using the average daily attendance which represents more 
nearly the actual attendance at the school, it is $2,931.05. (For 
more detailed cost data, see Chap. XIII.) 



25 — 



CHAPTER VI 
STUDENTS 



The following analysis of the pupils of the school was made from the 
1915-16 enrollment cards of regular pupils. Wherever for any stu- 
dent the information was not given it is indicated here under the head 
"not given". 

Home Boys Girls 

Milwaukee 71(59%) 23(52%) 

Milwaukee EE 9 1 

Milwaukee N 5 2 

Milwaukee S 1 

Wauwatosa 9 6 

West Allis 8 1 

Whitefish Bay 2 2 

West Bend 2 

Waukesha 2 

Medf ord 1 

Plymouth 1 

Brookfield 1 4 

Milwaukee Co 1 

S. Germantown 1 

Waupaca 1 

Hales Corners 1 

Shawano 1 

Dormitory 1 

Eacine 1 

Oconomowoc 1 

Pulaski 1 

Jackson 1 

Bayfield 1 

Chicago 2 

Marathon Co 1 

121* 44 

This shows that 71 (59%) of a total of 121 boys, and 23 (52%) of 
44 girls come from the city of Milwaukee. Two boys come from out- 
side of Wisconsin and 1 1 boys and 1 1 girls come from other counties 
than Milwaukee. 



Data for one pupil lacking. 



— 2t> — 

Ages 

Boys Giria 

13 6 1 

14 11 8 

15 21 5 

16 21 8 

17 15 5 

18 I') 4 

89 (74%) 01 (70%) 

!0 13 2 

20 G 2 

21 5 1 

22 1 2 

23 2 

24 1 

25 or over 3 4 

Not given 1 2 

121 44 

89, or 74 9^ of 121 boys and 31 . or 709,' - of 44 girls were of ordi- 
nary high school age, while 32 boys and I 3 girls were older. The point 
to be remembered is that the school has chiefly pupils of high school age 
and grade. This is even more evident from the next table which shows 
that only three boys and seven girls had finished a high school course. 
That is, even the pupils older than ordinary high school age have gen- 
erally less than a high school previous training. This, of course, does 
not mean that many of the older pupils have not a larger and more ma- 
ture grasp and mental development than the average high school pupil. 

Previous schooling 

Boys Girls 

Less than 8th grade 7 3 

8th gra.le 47 23 

High school (iiulef.) 4 

1 year 18 2 

2 years 7 2 

3 years 4 1 

4 years 2 2 

Academy 2 

Marquette Academy 3 years 1 

Marquette Academy and Business College 1 

Grades and Business College 3 

3 years high school and University of Wisconsin short 

course 1 

County agriculture 5 

Not given 19 4 

High school and Normal 2 

College 2 years 2 

College indefinite 1 

Indefinite 2 

121 44 



— 27 — 

The state law providing aid for county schools states that the schools 
shall be open to any pupil who has completed the eighth grade. We 
find, however, that 7 boys and 3 girls had not completed this grade on 
entrance to the school. The superintendent stated to the survey that 
such pupils were admitted if they were mature, had been out of school 
some time, and were not likely to go back to the ordinary school. The 
annual catalog for 1915—16 states that such students will be permitted 
to enter on trial if in the judgment of the school authorities they are 
mature enough to carry on the work successfully. The records of the^e 
ten pupils who gave their previous schooling as less than eighth grade are 

BOYS 



5 "3 



Milwaukee 
W«st Aillis 
Milwaukee 
Home for 

r>ep. 
Wauwatosa 

Milwaukee 
Milwaukee 



7th 


3Ag. 


Vot quite 8th 


SAg. 


rth 


3Ag. 


7th 


■i Ag. 


7th 


SAar. 


6th 


3Ag. 


7th 


SAg. 



2 mos. 
Life 
None 
None 

Indef. 

1 summer 
None 



Machinist 
Gardener 
Bookkeeper 



Carpenter 



Assembler 
of trucks 



No yrs. 
No yrs. 
No y;s. 
1 yr. 

6 mos. 

5 yrs. 
No yrs. 



Farmer 
Farmer 
Florist 
Hortic. & 

Floral 
To better 

education 
Farmer 
Practical 

farmer 



GIRLS 



Milwaukee 
Brookfleld 
Brookfleld 



6th 

Not quite 8th 
Not quite 8th 



3D.S. 
SAg. 
3 D.S. 



Life 
Life 



Butcher 
Farmer 
Farmer 



No yrs. 
Since June 
3 yrs. 



Household 



Four of the boys and one of the girls state that they had not been out 
of school at all. Four are scarcely above eighth grade age. The 
question here is not as to whether or not people of this training should be 
excluded by law. It is very probable that there are many cases where 
it would be almost an injustice to keep out certain applicants for this 
reason. But so long as the law requires eighth grade graduation there 
should be a very good justification for admitting pupils without it. Dis- 
regard of the state law might endanger the allowance of state aid. 



— 28 — 

Farm experience of bo^s 

None 25 

3 mos. or less 16 (inch "very little" " 1 summer ") 41 or 34% 

Indefinite 7 (incl. ' ' some ' ', etc.) 

4 to 6 mos 16 

7 mos. to 1 yr 8 

Over 1 yr. to 2 yrs.. 12 

Over 2 yrs 24 

Not given 13 

121 

41, or 34%, have no or practically no farm experience. 36 (30%) 
have had over one year of experience. This latter percentage probably 
represents quite closely the percentage of farm boys. If anything the 24 
(20%) with over two years' experience would be nearer. 

Father's Occupation (Boys) 

The list is very extended but many occupations are closely related. 
The more numerous are 

Farmer, 1 4 

Carpenter and contractor, 5 / 

Storekeeper, 5 

Liquor dealer, 5 

Salesman, 4 

Machinist, 3 

Cigarmaker, 3 

Among the remainder with only one or two representatives each are — 
foundry superintendent, structural iron worker, decorator, marble pol- 
isher, millwright, gardener, clerk, engineer, wagon trimmer, blacksmith, 
railroad man, fireman, teacher, tilelayer, real estate, bookkeeper, peddler, 
factory superintendent, sexton, tailor, rural mail carrier, etc., all of the 
same general nature. For the girls the list runs along the same lines 
with the farmer predominating. 

It appears from this list that the school is not a place where mainly 
children of the well-to-do go. In fact, it is the children of the workers 
and of the middle class who make up the entire enrollment. It is again 
shown here that it is not a school of farm boys but rather of city boys 
who for one reason or another desire the training the agricultural school 
gives. 

Length of Time out of School 

53 boys and 13 girls did not fill out the blank asking for this in- 
formation. Of the remainder 22 boys and 1 4 girls said since June, or 
vacation, or three to four months ; 1 8 boys and 2 girls had been out 



— 29 — 

from four months to one year ; 1 boys and 1 1 girls had been out over 
one year; 18 boys and four girls answered "none". 

Purpose in Caming to the School 

43 boys did not answer 

47 said to be a farmer 

20 to go into some kind of agricultural work (kind usually stated) 

3 to prepare for the university 

3 for practical use 

1 for general preparation 

1 to prepare for pharmacy 

1 to prepare for engineer 

2 to better education 



21 

23 girls did not answer 

1 to prepare for college 

3 for professional purposes 

4 for dressmaking, millinery, nursing 

1 3 more effiicent housekeeping, D. S. training, to make living, to 
plan and design a home, etc. 



44 



As is to be expected in a school of this kind the boys have in mind 
some kind of agricultural work as their future occupation, and the girls 
either intend to prepare for better housekeeping in their own homes or for 
such work outside the home. It is noticeable that only a small percent- 
age are preparing for college. Since the school is accredited to the uni- 
versity it is probable that a larger number may go there if they find it 
possible. 

Credits and Hours of Work 

Students are expected to take from 1 6 to 20 credits per term. This 
requires a little less than 30 periods per week. The actual number of 
periods for three year agricultural students averages 28. In the four 
year course the average is 26 periods. 

Failures and Promotions 

107 boys received credit for 1620 courses in 1914—15. These 
same boys failed in 66 courses. The percentage of failures in total 
courses was 4. This does not include incompletes and conditions, nor 



— .-^o— 

the work of those who dropped out without completing their work. Of 
the 66 failures 8 boys received 35. 

21 girls received credit in 267 courses, and failed in 12 courses, 
the percentage is again 4. Three of the girls received 10 of the fail- 
ures. The ratio between failures and promotions is the same for the 
boys and the girls. This is unusual, for in Wisconsin high schools 
girls fail less than boys as a general rule. The percentage of failures is 
somewhat less than that in high schools of the state. 

Enrollment and Attendance 

For the year 1914—15 the total enrollment was 191. The enroll- 
ment cards now available for the present year show a total of 1 65. 
This does not include short or special courses or summer course. The 
average daily attendance for 1914—15 was 1 18. The average daily 
attendance for the 1st term in 1915—16 was 130, but this is probably 
larger than the total for the year since about 40 students dropped out at 
the end of the second term to go to work. 

For 1912—13, the first year of operation, the enrollment was 243 
and the average daily attendance 146; for 1913—14 the enrollment 
was 206 and the average daily attendance 128. There has been a 
constant falling off from the high mark attained the first year. 

TTie average daily attendance is determined by adding the total days 
attended in each of the various courses — regular and special — and divid- 
ing by the number of days in the term. This is done each term. The 
three terms are added together and divided by three to find the yearly 
average. 



— 31 — 



CHAPTER VII 



GRADUATES 



30 pupils have graduated from the school since its organization, 8 
in 1 91 4 and 22 in 1915. The superintendent of the school has pre- 
pared from his personal knowledge a list of their present positions. No 
records are kept. 

1914 class 

8 Boys — 1 with father in meat business 

1 on own farm in Washburn County 

1 in milk business in city 

1 on own farm in Illinois 

I attending trade school 

3 Girls — 2 married 

1 at home 

19 1 5 class 

19 Boys — 1 back in school preparing for Stout Institute 

I on a Guernsey farm in Waukesha County 

1 on his father's dairy farm 

1 on farm 

1 herdsman farm, Wauwatosa 

1 back in school 

1 poultry farm. West Allis 

1 cow testing for the University 

1 association cow testing 

1 in partnership with brother in California 

1 with American Appraisal Co., Milwaukee 

1 on farm last summer. Now back in 

school preparing for the University 

1 at Marquette taking medicine 

1 herdsman, insane hospital farm 

1 

1 on father's farm, town of Granville 



— 32 — 

1 teaming, grading, landscape work 

1 farm, Waukesha County 

I farm, Wauwatosa 

3 Girls — 1 teaching domestic science and doing catering work 

I at university 
1 at home 

1 5 of the 24 boys are now doing some kind of agricultural work 

9 are back in school or doing other kinds or unknown kinds of 
work 
1 3, not including those in school, are in Milwaukee County 

1 , of 6, girls is teaching 

2 are married 

2 are at home 

I is at the university 

4 are in Milwaukee County 

A careful record of the graduates should be kept showing positions, 
salaries, further school work, and any other items of interest. What 
becomes of the pupils who have left school is an important matter. 
They should be kept in contact with the school. If they believe that 
the training they have received is useful they should be encouraged to 
get others to go. They are in a position to teach communities to make 
greater use of the facilities of the school thru meetings, correspondence, 
help in problems, and in any other matters where expert help can as- 
sist. 

The graduate in his turn, if he is reached by the activities of the 
school will try to help the county realize to the fullest extent returns 
on the investment. The graduates and their work are only one of the 
products expected of a school of this type, but they are an important 
one, and can be made a very efHcient means of developing the other 
products. 



33 — 



CHAPTER VIII 



COURSES OF STUDY 



The Three and Four Year Courses 

The county schools of agriculture were originally organized to give 
instruction in agriculture and domestic science to boys and girls who 
did not intend to go to college. The courses were planned to last for 
two years and they were not intended to articulate with those of any 
other institution. Little of the purely academic work was given. 
The schools were vocational schools, teaching the subject matter nec- 
essary for the farming and home vocations with no regard to what the 
rest of the school system might demand. 

This independent position is now being abandoned. The Milwau- 
kee County School has not gone so far as some of the others. It still 
maintains three year courses which do not prepare for college, and in 
which a majority of the regular students are enrolled, but it has estab- 
lished four year courses which add to the three year courses sufficient 
academic work to admit to the university of Wisconsin. The school 
is now on the accredited list and is subject to the same rules of the uni- 
versity as apply to other secondary schools in this list. 

The work of the three year agricultural course includes science, 
agronomy, farm mechanics, botany, dairying, soils, poultry, horticul- 
ture, animal husbandry, farm accounting, farm management, economic 
entomology, some practical English, music, civics, American History, 
bee culture. 

The four year course adds one year of algebra, one year of me- 
dieval and modern history, one half year of geology, one half year of 
commercial geography, one year of geometry, one half year of rural 
economics, one half year of arithmetic, one half year of elementary eco- 
nomics, and increases English to three years. The subject of Latin is 
not listed in the catalog but was given in the second term of this year 
as extra work to a class of seven boys who petitioned for it. 

All of the subjects required in the four year course and not in th"? 
three are for the sake of meeting university requirements. The school 
is adjusting itself to the university. Three out of 121 boys declare 



— 34 — 

their intention of going to the university. This does not mean that 
only three are taking the four year course, but it means that only three 
are taking the work with the purpose in view for which the new sub- 
jects were selected. To the remainder it makes no difference whether 
when they graduate they are entitled to enter the university or not. 
(The exception is, of course, the boy who may change his mind later, 
but this works both ways. Moreover, only one of the twenty-four 
boys who have graduated has the intention of going to the university. 
He graduated from the three year course and is back for the fourth 
year.) 

On this showing the questions which arise are — 

1 . Shall the school be made an agriculture and domestic science 

high school? 

2. Granting that a four year course should be given, are the sub- 

jects offered for the additional year the most useful that 
could be found? 

3. Would they be given were it not for university requirements? 

4. Does the number of students who intend to go to the university 

justify requiring all others in the four year course to take 
work which may not be most useful to them? 

The pupil who graduates from a county school of agriculture and 
domestic economy or from a high school agricultural course has a 
much greater training in this work than the ordinary student entering 
the college of agriculture or the department of domestic economy at 
the university. The student entering agriculture at the university after 
four years at the county school will either have to duplicate work, take 
work other than agriculture, or actually be doing junior work when he 
is enrolled as a freshman. If there are many such, adjustments of 
curricula will have to be made. If graduates enter other depart- 
ments they will not be so well prepared as the regular high school stu- 
dent and will lack language requirements. Moreover, their special- 
ized agricultural training will not be of much value to them. Thus 
the attempt to articulate with the university seems to present consider- 
able inevitable difficulties. 

If the four year course is to be given in these schools, are the sub- 
jects in the extra year above the original course especially adapted to 
the pupils in the schools? Some of the additional courses can un- 
doubtedly be made of practical value. In others, the advantage is 
not so apparent. It is said that a broad training and a wide founda- 
tion is necessary in any course, even a very technical one. The ques- 
tion remains as to whether this school is to be an agricultural high 
school or a school of agriculture giving training in agriculture without 
regard to the requirements of other institutions. 



— 35 — 

Before the four year course was established at the Milwaukee 
County school, arrangements were occasionally made for pupils to take 
desired academic work in the Wauwatosa high school. Would not a 
plan whereby pupils could take all their academic work in the regular 
high schools be feasible? Arrangements could be made for Wauwa- 
tosa pupils to take such work for one year in the Wauwatosa High 
School, for Milwaukee pupils in the Milwaukee High Schools, etc. 
Or pupils might spend a small part of their regular time in the Wau- 
watosa High School. This would absolve the requirements for a 
high school diploma admitting to the university. The cost of instruc- 
tion in high schools is less than that in the county agricultural school 
and a saving would be effected. Such a plan would require an under- 
standing and a method of co-ordination between the county school 
and the other schools concerned. 

A common criticism of the agricultural schools is that their courses 
lack in content, that there is insufficient material to fill the large number 
of courses and make them "meaty." If this is true of the Milwaukee 
County School there could have been no excuse for a three year 
course, to say nothing of a four. The truth of this matter, however, 
can only be determined by months of careful classroom observation 
and a thoro study of the content of each course. It is recommended 
that the board of administration take steps to learn if this emptiness 
exists in the subjects offered. If it does it should be eliminated by 
combination of subjects, by shortening the course, or by more in- 
tensive work. 

The argument against the four year course briefly is: 

The effort to tnake a high school out of the county agricultural 
school is a perversion of its function. High schools should teach 
agriculture and should prepare for the university. For the boy who 
intends to continue agricultural work at the university the high school 
work is sufficient, or can be made so without cutting too much into other 
subjects. The county agricultural school is for the boy who wants ag- 
riculture but does not want to go, or cannot afford to go, to the univer- 
sity, or to take the previous work required for university entrance. He 
wants to 5ubstitute the county agricultural school for the university. 
To make him substitute it for high school instead is to defeat his ends 
and the ends of the school. If suitable and sufficient work can be 
given in two years there should be a two year course. If four years 
are necessary there should be a four year course, but it should be a four 
year course in agriculture. 

This argument applies equally to domestic science. 

The argument in favor of the four year course is that it offers the 
same work as is offered in the three year course with the addition of a few 



— 36 — 

subjects which make it possible to enter the university. A pupil can 
finish the three year course and then if he wishes to go on he can come 
back to the school for one year and get the necessary work. If this in- 
centive is not added pupils tend to drop out before they have finished tlie 
work in the other courses. Every school should give such preparation 
that when the course is completed the graduate is able to go on to some 
other school if he desires, TTiis can be done in the Milwaukee County 
school without in any way lessening the effectiveness of the shorter 
courses. 

Other courses 

In addition to the three and four year courses there is a projected 
short course covering the period from November 20th to April 1 st for 
two years, which will be complete in itself or will give credit of one 
year toward any regular course. This course is just being worked out 
and it is planned to announce it for the first time in the next catalog. 
It includes 

First Year 
1st term 2nd term 

Cereal Crops Forage Crops 

Elementary Dairying Dairy Manufacture 

Carpentry Carpentry 

Elementary Poultry Poultry Practise 

Fruit Growing Vegetable Gardening 

Second Year 
Dairy Cattle Stock Feeding 

Soil Fertility Soil Management 

Farm Management Drainage 

Farm Accounting Farm Accounting 

Blacksmithing Blacksmithing 



Insects C 



IVICS 



Such a course ought to give good solid instruction, and should meet 
the requirements of many boys who cannot attend the full year. 

(Short courses are considered as extension work and will be treated 
under that head), 

A Suggested Nero Course 

In order to give more fully practical farm training under the direc- 
tion of the school it is suggested that a course be offered which shall 
be co-extensive with the agricultural year, say from March I st to Nov- 
ember 1st. (For a fuller discussion of this see Chapter XII — The 
School Farm). 



37 



CHAPTER IX 
TEACHING STAFF 



The teaching staff of the school consists of the superintendent and 
thirteen instructors, ten of whom are in agriculture and three in domes- 
tic science. All of the instructors are men except those in domestic 
science. 

Training 

7 of the 1 4 members hold the degree of Bachelor of Science or 
Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, and one of these has in addition 
his Master of Science degree. Three have the Bachelor of Arts de- 
gree. Of these three none teach agricultural subjects. Three are 
graduates of Stout Institute, two of whom teach domestic science and 
the other Farm Mechanics. One has the degree of Master of Phil- 
osophy. 

Salaries 

Superintendent $3, 150 

Instructors 

one at 2. 200 

one at 2, 000 

one at 1, 820 

one at 1, 860 

one at 1, 700 

twoat 1,200 

one at 1, 100 

one at 1. 000 

one at 950 

one at 900 

one at 744 

one at 4 mo. — Yz time *180 

one at 1,200 



* per term of employment 



— 38 — 

These salaries are much higher than those paid for otdinary second- 
ary school education. Agricultural teachers everywhere in such institu- 
tions have a higher rate of pay than teachers of academic subjects, but 
even considering this the rates at the Milwaukee school are higher. 
This is true in academic subjects as well as in agriculture. For the sal- 
aries paid the teaching should be of the best. 

Hours of Instruction 

Not including the superintendent, who has five periods per week of 
teaching, instructors have class periods as follows: 



one has 


16 


periods 


per week 


one has 


18 








one has 


19 








two have 2 1 








two have 


22 








one has 


24 








one has 


25 








one has 


26 








one has 


29 








one has 


30 








one has 


31 









Periods are forty minutes each with a five minute intermission. In 
addition instructors do extension work, prepare lessons, correct papers, 
do farm work connected with the school, etc. The amount of this has 
never been determined. An attempt on the part of the survey to get 
this information from faculty members themselves was unsuccessful. 
The superintendent estimated that the men spent on the average seven 
hours a day at the school. This does not include Saturday when 
there are no classes. The amount of class work compares favorably 
with that done in other secondary schools. The amount of additional 
work determines largely how much more or less faculty members might 
be expected to do, and information on this is not available. 



— 8» — 



CHAPTER X 
TEACHING 



This report on teaching is based on actual classroom observations 
and study of courses. While it would have been desirable to see 
more classei, the results here given are in no way less valuable because 
the number of visits was limited. 

1 8 classes were visited 

Reports will tell only what occurred in those classes 

Names of classes will be given 

No class report is to be considered as a judgment on the teaching 
ability of the instructor concerned. Good points or bad points ob- 
served are to be taken as examples of methods or practices which are 
used. Whether they occur seldom or often does not alter the impor- 
tant fact which is that they do occur. The defects pointed out should 
be discovered and eliminated wherever they exist. The good points 
should be encouraged and made general. 

Civics 

Seven boys constituted the class, and these boys sat at the back of 
the room. Effort was made to apply the work to the actual lives and 
experiences of the boys by specific questions as — "Do you and I pay 
direct taxes?" "Is the tax on an automobile direct or indirect?" 
The instructor invariably called on the student before asking the ques- 
tion which immediately lessened the attention on the part of the pupils 
not called on. In one case only two of the boys seemed to be listen- 
ing and one of these when called on was not sure what he was to re- 
cite about. The instructor kept his book open before him and fol- 
lowed the text. This killed free and voluntary discussion. He re- 
ferred to the text for questions and when a boy did not answer a ques- 
tion he read to him from the book. An interesting and definite as- 
signment was given as part of the next lesson: "Find out how much 
income tax you will have to pay when you have a $20,000 job. If 
married? If a single man?" 



— 40 — 

Civics, especially when made part of the daily lives of the pupils, is 
a subject which arouses much interest in a class of boys. The in- 
structor in this class seemed to know how he wanted to conduct the 
class; he wanted the boys to take an active part. He had their good 
will but could not keep up the interest. The greater part of the inter- 
est shown seemed due to the subject rather than to the teacher. It 
should be mentioned that the subject is one which is outside of the m- 
structor's regular line of work. 

Soil Fertility 

16 members were present. 

The outstanding feature of this recitation was lack of discipline. 
The instructor stood at the middle seat of the fourth row while the pu- 
pils all sat in the last four rows. The observer reported on this class 
in part: "The instructor might just as well have been at the front of 
the room, for his presence was disregarded during the class disturb- 
ances that took place. Not only were notes passed, but a note book 
with them was deliberately thrown under the seats from the first boy 
to the last boy. No hesitation was shov/n in speaking aloud. ^ * -^ 
A few were trying to behave. * ^ ^ One of the noisiest, who 
had been sent to the front row, turned around and entertained the 
class more than ever from that vantage point. The instructor kept his 
text open and referred to it often. He kept down discussion by drag- 
ging pupils back to the 'next paragraph.' " 

It is doubtful if the pupils receive much benefit from a class where 
discipline is so bad ao it was in this class. 

Soils 

This class was made up of eight boys. 

The period was spent out of doors laying out plots. The instruc- 
tor did most of the work himself, especially with the instruments. 
The boys learned the names and uses of these only by asking. They 
were anxious to know how to use them, but they were told that the time 
was too short and that they could learn at a later period. The pe- 
riod was in effect a demonstration of the use of unnamed instruments, 
which the pupils did not learn enough about to understand. Their 
enthusiasm seemed to be suppressed rather than encouraged. 

Food Stud}f 

Eleven girls were in this class. 

The subject of the recitation was starch. The pupils and teacher 
seemed to have the subject well in hand, but the class was of the monot- 
onous type. A scries of questions were faithfully answered by each 



— 41 — 

girl in turn. The instructor kept her note book open before her. She 
usually asked the question before naming the pupil, but there were sev- 
eral exceptions to this. No effort was made to correlate the work with 
that in botany and physiology. These classes and the laboratory 
were isolated things. 

Home Management 

One student. 

The pupil had planned a home and was given two sums, one large 
and one small, with which to make two plans for furnishing it. The 
teacher sat beside the pupil and criticised the plans. The pupil had 
two catalogs from which to select the home equipment. These the 
teacher had gotten for her. 

Horticulture 

1 7 boys 

2 periods — one laboratory and one outdoor section. 

The laboratory section was making grafts. Both instructor and pu- 
pils were much interested. The instructor was kept very busy. The 
pupils made about 20 grafts each, but they did not know what plants 
they were grafting. Neither did they know how the string used was 
prepared. The instructor said that he would plant the grafts to see 
how many would grow. He did not say that he would let the boys 
plant them. 

The outdoor section was spent in checking and planting trees. Each 
boy had something to do. All were interested. The instructor was full 
of life and kept all interested. The class showed good spirit. 

English 

Class of 1 3 boys and 2 girls. 

The first part of the lesson was given over to a written spelling les- 
son. The papers were exchanged and the instructor spelled the words 
while the pupils marked the papers. A story read the previous day 
was then told by one of the girls. She told it well. Next some time 
was spent on reading from "Myths of Greece and Rome." The pu- 
pils were closely questioned about what they had read. One boy had 
trouble in remembering, but after a second reading was able to tell 
without stumbling. Another boy was interrupted because he put in a 
word. This distracted his attention. The instructor never called on 
listeners to correct mistakes. 

Throughout the period there was good order. The instructor has 
much personality and he has the respect of the children. 



— 42 — 

Ancient History 

1 3 boys and 2 girls were in this class 

This period was given over to a written quiz. 

Five questions were asked. None of the questions applied or 
asked for an application of any event in ancient history to modern con- 
ditions. It represented the kind of history teaching which encourages 
boys and girls to exercise memory rather than reason. 

A large amount of cheating would seem to indicate that the class 
was not well prepared for the examination. While the instructor was 
writing the questions one pupil opened his book to get some notes. Two 
others looked at each other's papers and passed notes. 

One boy slipped his paper nearer his neighbor so that this boy might 
see what he had written. At least five others looked at each others 
papers again and again. The instructor was in the room, occupied 
with the reading of a book. 

Algebra 

A written quiz was given the first day. On the second the work 
was gone over. The instructor told the class that they had done 
very poorly. He spent the period in a thorough explanation of quad- 
ratic equations, the subject matter of the test. The instructor fre- 
quently asked if there were any questions, and twice pupils asked them. 
On one occasion the instructor asked if there were any questions and 
added that there certainly should be none on that part. This did not 
encourage any one to ask. On the first day in particular the instruc- 
tor spoke in a drawling undertone. There was much more life and 
spirit the second day. The students were given the papers to take 
home and correct. This would make them finally get the work done 
correcdy. The instructor used the quiz not only as a test of what the 
pupils knew of the subject but as a teaching means. 

Botany 

9 boys and three girls constituted this class 

The first period was used for a field trip to a nearby grove. The 
purpose of the lesson was to teach trees in their winter aspect. The in- 
structor pointed out and described the trees. A student was called on 
occasionally to name a tree of a kind just described. Two of ten pu- 
pils gave the correct name the first time. The instructor tried to teach 
pupils to recognize the following trees — white oak, red oak, soft maple, 
hard maple, Carolina poplar, prunus serotina, ironwood, bass wood, 
white ash. It is possible that any group of people would have diffi- 
culty in learning to remember all these in an hour, especially when the 
leaves were not out, and the trees were so tall that the bud arrangement 



— 43 — 

could not be easily seen. Twigs were gathered and these were to be 
carefully drawn and labeled in the laboratory at the next period. Just 
why time should be opent in drawing twigs in the laboratory when 
the whole woods was available for actual daily study did not appear. 
The pupils did not seem to learn to know the trees. As a matter of 
method the question may be asked — is it well to teach the barks of a 
group of trees one day, the leaves on another, etc., in showing how to 
know trees; or is it better to teach all about one tree one day, and 
about another at a different time? In order to remember the names 
of the twigs which she was to draw, one girl put soft maple in one 
pocket and hard maple in another. This did not help much for she 
soon forgot which pocket had the soft and which the hard. 

The next day in class this field trip was never mentioned. The 
class recited about palms and cocoanut trees that they had read about 
in the text. The recitation and the laboratory were disconnected 
things. The work was not connected up for the girls with their prac- 
tical work in domestic science. 

The first question in the recitation was to name the four large groups 
into which plants were divided. It took two pupils to give thallo- 
phytes, bryophites, pteridophytes, and spermatophytes. When pupils 
stumbled over the pronunciation of these or other long words the in- 
structor helped but he did not give their derivation or anything else 
which might have helped the pupils to understand and remember them. 
After a discussion of monocotyledons and dicotyledons the instructor 
drew and labeled illustrations on the board. A little later a girl 
asked if maple seed was a dicotyledon. The maple was one of the 
illustrations the instructor had previously drawn and labelled. He 
answered "Yes" to this and other questions which might with profit 
have been discussed by other members of the class. 

This instructor seemed to work hard. To some extent he kept the 
interest of the pupils. He never discouraged them and answered their 
questions even though at first they seemed of no value. 

(Veterinary) Science 

5 present 

This class was made up of the more mature students. The first 
few minutes were given over to review of tuberculosis. The instructor 
showed the class an affected gland. Then he began to lecture. One 
student wanted to ask a question, but was asked by the instructor not 
to interrupt him while he was talking. As the instructor talked the 
rest of the period not another boy said a word. The instructor lec- 
tured slowly, stopping now and then to give students time to get what 
he said fully in their note books. The lecture method is usually de- 



— 44 — 

fended on the grounds that large classes make it necessary. How 
would lecturing to a class of five students be defended? Discussion 
was discouraged by the instructor's asking the pupils not to interrupt him. 
It was not an inspiring recitation. The instructor was very serious 
both in manner and appearance. The class was interested especially 
during the review at the beginning of the period. 

Practices to be Discouraged 

Book open before instructor and referring to it for questions and 
answers 

Lack of discipline 

Calling on pupil before asking question 

Preventing discussion on part of pupils by dragging them back to 
the text or answering questions which other pupils could an- 
swer 

Discouraging questioning on the part of pupils 

Instructors doing most of the work 

Lack of explanation by instructor of work he is doing 

Lack of correlation between laboratory and class work, and be- 
tween different classes 

Not telling pupils what they are doing and why 

Not permitting students to go through whole process from begin- 
ning to end 

Distracting attention of pupils by interruptions 

Lack of respect for teacher on part of pupils 

Cheating by pupils 

Indistinct speech on part of teacher and pupils 

Overmuch memory work and insufficient reasoning work by pupils 

Lecturing to small classes 

Each of these defects is illustrated in the reports on observations. 
In nearly every case there were redeeming features. 

The illustrations show that much careful supervision is needed. The 
pupils are of an age which demands good teaching. Interesting sub- 
ject matter will cause the pupil to derive some value from even the 
poorest teaching, but pupils between the ages of 1 3 and 20 are not of 
the maturity which will give them the ability to learn more than a 
smattering of any subject without expert assistance on the part of the 
instructor. While the base used is not large enough to say that the 
teaching of any one instructor is either good or bad as a whole, it is 
possible to say that in certain of the classes visited the benefit to the pu- 
pil was very small. The lacks shown were apparently not due to de- 
ficient knowledge by the teacher of the subject matter to be taught, but 



— 45 — 

rather to defective methods, which might have come either from care- 
lessness or from lack of knowledge of teaching methods. If due to 
carelessness all that is necessary is to arouse the instructor out of his 
rut, remind him of the exacting demands of teaching, start him to think- 
ing on methods of making his teaching a means of giving the pupils in- 
terest, knowledge, and a desire to work. Self-analysis by each in- 
structor will show personal reasons for defects; study of work by the 
teacher himself will show where the faults in the teaching lie. 

For the new teacher, or the teacher who is not familiar with teach- 
ing methods, assistance on the part of supervisors is necessary. Help- 
ful suggestions, based on study of the teacher's peculiarities and on vis- 
its to the classroom, will help do away with many shortcomings. The 
man whose faults are glaring, who will make no effort to correct them, 
or who is not suited to the kind of work he is doing, has no place in a 
school of this or any other kind. It should be noted that one instruc- 
tor, whose work appeared on the day visited to be very bad, will not 
return next year. 

Supervision of Instruction 

The superintendent of the school says that he aims to visit a class of 
each instructor once a week. This would require thirteen periods of 
supervision a week. No record of the number of visits is kept, so it is 
not possible to tell how nearly this standard is approached. The 
amount of visiting by superior officers to their assistants is not known. 
The amount of real assistance which those in charge can give their assist- 
ants depends on how purposeful the visits and conferences are. As- 
sistants can also to some extent help their superiors. Of the ten 
teachers whose classes were visited, only four were not in charge of 
departments. Some of the assistants showed work which was better 
than that of some department heads. On the other hand, the work of 
one assistant showed much lack of experience, while that of the man 
in charge was among the best seen. 

The solution seems to be that there should be a system of intervisit- 
ing. Not only should the superintendent visit the classes of all teachers, 
but department heads should visit their assistants, and assistants should 
see the work of those in charge. The assistants could see results due 
to better methods and learn to avoid faults which they observe. It is 
less difficult to learn by seeing teaching faults and virtues in others than 
in the individual himself. The superintendent and department heads 
could point out to instructors where their weak points are. They could 
demonstrate for a period if they felt that this would help. Each in- 
structor would have the opportunity to get away from his own limited 
field, and see in others the things that in his own work he had perhaps 



— 46 — 

from very nearness overlooked. The system would tend to make each 
man analyze his own work. 

The presence of the defects observed in classroom work indicates 
one or more of four things in regard to the supervision of the superin- 
tendent 

1 . He visits for the purpose of seeing only and not for the purpose 

of helping the instructor. 

2. He does not follow up his visits with conferences or suggestions. 

3. Pupils, all of whom know the superintendent, make especial ef- 

forts at the time of his visits. 

4. The instructor is especially careful at the time of the visits. 

It is undoubtedly true that the instructors and pupils try to be at 
their best on the occasion of the visits of the superintendent. It is also 
true that the defects are not all of the kind that can be put on and off 
at will. Some of them will occur no matter who is present. Those 
that can be eliminated when the superintendent is present should be 
eliminated by the instructor at all times. Those that can not be so done 
away with should be noticed by the superintendent and he should assist 
in remedying them. Present supervision does not seem to be effective. 
No doubt the superintendent knows in general who are the best and 
who are the poorest teachers. Does he know specific defects and do2S 
he try to overcome them? Is his supervision a real thing or is it merely 
for the purpose of fulfilling the requirements of the school? 



— 47 



CHAPTER XI 
EXTENSION 



Work done 

In two records in the office of the school are the extension activities 
of the school listed. One is a typewritten statement entitled "Some 
Facts Concerning the Agricultural School" and the other is a copy of 
a letter of the superintendent to the board of administration. The let- 
ter contains all the extension activities mentioned in the statement and 
three additional items. From these two sources the activities are 

Enroll. 

1 . Special 8th grade work at the school in co-operation with 

the Hawley Road and 36th St. School 13 

2. Special millinery classes at the school 52 

3. Special sewing classes at the school 35 

4. Special cooking classes at the school 30 

5. Saturday courses for Milwaukee County rural school 

teachers, at the school 22 

6. Course at the Milwaukee Public Library 75 

7. Lectures at social centers in various parts of the county 100 

8. Farmeri' course at the school 148 

9. Poultry show at the school 
10. Calf raising contest 

1 1 . Corn and barley contest 

12. Corn exhibit at school 

1 3. Exhibit at state fair 

14. Vacant lot gardening within city limits of Milwaukee 

15. Direct aid to farmers in the county 

16. All other efforts made in the direction of advertising the 

institution and aiding the community not only to in- 
crease attendance but to acquaint the community with 
the benefits that may be 'secured by co-operating with 
the school 

1 7. Classes for children from the Home for Dependent Chil- 

dren 



— 48 — 

Appo'mlmeuis Shown for the First Four Months of 1916 b^ the Su- 
perintendent's Calendar 
Jan. 7 — Mr. Perry and Mr. Phillips — Greenfield Ave. School 
Jan. 21 — Mr. Perry and Mr. Sievers — Browning School 
Feb. 4 — Mr. Sievers and Mr. Adams — Tippecanoe School 
Peb. 1 1 — Mr. Perry and Mr. Sievers — Fox Point School 
Feb. 12 — Mr. Holzinger — N. Milwaukee School 
Feb. 1 8 — Mr. Bartholomew — Ludington School 
Feb. 28 — Mr. Sievers — Woodlawn School 
Mar. 7 — Mr. Perry and Mr. Roehl — Lincoln School 
Mar. 1 1 — Mr. Sievers and Mr. Perry — Mapletree School 
Mar. 1 7 — Mr. Sievers and Mr. Perry — Fischer School 
Mar. 3 1 — Mr. Sievers and Mr. Perry — Mapletree School 

Apr. 10 — — McKinley School 

Apr. 1 4 — Mr. Perry and Mr. Sievers — Ardenwood School 
Apr. 28 — Mr. Perry and Mr. Sievers — Burleigh St. School 
A brief general statement of extension work u given in the annual 
catalog. 

All short courses are considered extension work. This includes 
the summer session. Tho the school authorities do not list it, it :s 
so considered by them for most purposes. 

Nowhere is there to be found a complete detailed statement of the 
work done in extension, of the time spent, or of the cost. 

No records of any kind are kept for any of the work except the 
courses at the school. 

The report here made is based on course records, conferences, let- 
ters, statements, bulletins, and such other -scattered material as could 
be secured. 

The eighth grade class consists of thirteen girls who come over once 
a week for conking and sewing. 

The special millinery, -sewing and cooking classes are composed of 
city women who come out one afternoon a week during the spring and 
fall terms to receive special instruction. The classes aim to give prac- 
tical work along these lines. They are adapted to those who do not 
wish to take a complete course in the school. 

The Saturday course for rural school teachers is designed to give 
instruction to these teachers which will be of benefit to them in their 
work and at the same time help the school. It continues foi- eight Sat- 
urdays. 

The course at the Milwaukee Public Library consists of a series of 
popular lectures on agricultural subjects for city people interested in 
agriculture. The lectures are given twice a week for eight weeks. 
Among the subjects are 



— 49 — 

Wisconsin Geology in Respect to Soil Formation 

Planning a Back Yard Garden 

The Helpful Hen 

Hotbed Construction and Management 

Best Results in Poultry Feeding 

Some Vegetables Worth While 

Raising the Dairy Calf 

Life of the Honey Bee 

The Herd Bull 

Bush Fruits 

City and Country Bee Keeping 

Back Lot Poultry Keeping 

Managing the Dairy Herd 

Production and Composition of Milk 

Two lectures are given each evening, making a total of thirty-two 
for the course. 

The farmers' course at the school lasts for three days and consists 
of lecturei, demonstrations, and meetings. In connection with it are the 
poultry show, calf raising contest, corn and barley contest, and the crop 
exhibit. 

These various coursea reach about 500 people according to the en- 
rollmento given. Some attend only a few lectures and some attend for 
a course. 

The school statement concerning direct aid to farmers in the county, 
reads: "This item alone is valued at not less than $2,000 a year in 
counties where a county representative is employed." County represen- 
tatives give their full time to the work. The superintendent of the school 
estimated for the survey that it would take the time of one man for two 
days a week to do the work done in this line by the school. On this 
basis this item should be estimated at 1/3 of $2,000 or $667. This 
work consists of personal visits to farmers, advice on farm problems, 
help on silos, correspondence, etc. It is done by the various members 
of the faculty each of whom makes such visits and helps on such work 
as falls within his field. 

40 children from the Home for Dependent Children, which is ad- 
jacent to the school, come three mornings a week for instruction in ag- 
riculture or domestic science. 

Cost 

It is not possible to get the exact cost of extension work because of 
the lack of records showing distribution of time, and of work done. 
From the basis of how much less the school would cost if there were 



— 50 — 

no extension work, it is very low. No fewer instructors would be em- 
ployed, except perhaps one in domestic science. The buildings and 
equipment would be the same. Some traveling expense would be 
done away with, as would a small amount for printing and postage. 
The total of these possible reductions would not amount to over $2,000 
and would probably be much less. This type of work can be car- 
ried on without much additional cost. 

The superintendent estimates that extension work costs about 1/6 of 
the total operating expenses of the school. Any figures which can be 
given must necessarily be estimates. 

An analysis of the average daily attendance figures shows that about 
1/6 of the attendance is in special courses which come under exten- 
sion. On this basis 1/6 of operating cost is chargeable to extension. 
The cost of the other work is too small to change this fraction, so 
1/6 of total operating cost is as near the actual extension cost as 
can be arrived at from the data available. This would give for the 
cost in 1914-15 $8,105.64. The net cost, after subtracting 1/6 of 
the $10,000 returned by the school to the county, is $6,438.64. 

Summary 

Extension work lacks organization. It is undeveloped. At pres- 
ent the so-called extension consists in large part of special classes at 
the school. The real extension work consists of some lectures in the 
city, lectures at social centers, direct aid to farmers, and a ohort course 
for farmers with attendant contests and meetings. 

Records should be kept showing costs, visits, time opent, classes, lec- 
tures, calls, etc. 

Separate accounts should be kept of all direct costs. 

Recommendations for the furtherance and development of exten- 
sion work are contained in the discussion in Chapter II. 



51 



CHAPTER XII 
THE SCHOOL FARM 



The Farm Proper 

The school farm consists of 206 acres. This includes campus, 
woodlots, and land used for other than farm purposes. The land was 
purchased at $350 an acre thuo representing an investment of $72,100 
in addition to the buildings and equipment, which would add approxi- 
mately $15,000. 

As stated in the 1915-16 catalog the school possesses "a full equip- 
ment of high class and improved farm machinery." This, according 
to the inventory, is valued at $3,091.57. 

About 15 acres are devoted to fruit raiding and truck farming. 
The crop production of the farm aside from this in 1915 was 

62 tons alfalfa, 15 acres 4. 13 tons per acre 

1630 bu. oats. 18 acres 90.56 bu. 

1440 bu. potatoes, 8 acres 180 .00 " 

25 tons timothy hay, 11 acres 2.27 tons 

49 tons mixed hay, 16 acres 3.06 " 

18 tons clover hay, 6 acres 3.00 " 

100 tons cabbage, 7 acres 14.29 " 

Two silos filled with silage corn, 27 acres. 
Total, 98 acres. 

The orchard, truck farm, woodlots, and grounds used for buildings 
make up the remainder of the farm. 

The dairy equipment is very complete not only from the teaching 
standpoint but from the viewpoint of a dairy farm as well. The herd 
now numbers twenty-five in addition to the young stock on hand. 
(For detail see "Equipment", Chap. V.) 

A statement of the school says: 

"Its dairy herd (the school's) has been increased fifty per cent (time 
not given) and the production of this herd has averaged for the last 
two years 8,180 pounds per cow, while the average milk production 
of dairy cows in the State of Wisconsin is less than 5,000 pounds per 
cow. 



— 52 — 

This looks like a very good record, but in order to give a perfectly 
fair and useful comparison the production of the school's cows should 
be compared with the production of cows of like grade in the state. 
Adding together the average production of cows of all kinds and com- 
paring with the production of a high class herd merely shows what 
everybody knows — that high class herds produce more. It docs not 
show whether the standard of production for that particular herd is 
high or low. 

The dairy barn is a large building and is clean and well kept. The 
milk produced is certified milk. Most of the necessary feed is pro- 
duced on the farm. A driveway leading to the hay loft is being 
planned, the work to be done by the pupils as part of their work in car- 
pentry and concrete. 

Costs 

The school office does not have in easily available form records 
showing cost and returns of the farm and dairy. It has records, 
which, if jummarized and collected would show this. The farm fore- 
man keeps a record of each field, including records showing amount of 
time spent on each. If a man puts in one half-day on one field, an 
hour doing teaming for the school, and an hour in dairy work, and the 
rest of the day with the poultry, these records will show it. Costs are 
distributed in the same way. Both costs and returns are divided be- 
tween departments. But these facts are not collected at present. 
Last December the bookkeeper's position was discontinued, and tho he 
said that the farm produced a profit last year, his records cannot show 
how much without a great amount of work collecting and analyzing 
detail. For the purposes of this study the superintendent gave esti- 
mates. 

The estimates of the superintendent are 
Eeceipts 

Dairy and poultry produce $4,800 

Potatoes 1 , 260 

Berries and fruit 300 

Hay 300 

Miscellaneous 300 

$6,960 
Expenses 

Farm foreman $960 

Men 1,500 

Herdsman 720 

Student helper 240 

Man 240 

Man 372 

Feed — Dairy and poultry 1 ,200 

Other 500 

$5,732 



— 53 — 

Expenses include transfers from other departments. This shows a 
profit of $1,228, an approximation. That actual facts were not 
available four months after the close of the year speaks badly both for 
the school records and the desire of the authorities to know. It should 
be noted before accepting the statement that the farm is running at a 
profit that no interest on investment is considered. A farmer could 
not afford to run the farm as the school runs it. The superintendent 
stated that the investment was not considered and could not be con- 
sidered. He gave this illustration: 

Suppose 50 bushels of oats were raised on one acre. At 40c a 
bushel this would bring $20.00 Interest on the investment is $17.50 
($350 at 5%). Taxes, if it were private land, $1.00, threshing 
$1.50. This would take all of the $20.00 leaving nothing for labor, 
seed, fertilizer, and other items. 

For grain raising purposes it will be granted that the farm could not 
be made to pay, even tho the farm did raise 91 bushels of oats to the 
acre. 

Interest on $70,000 (200 acres at $350 per acre) at 5% is 
$3,500.00. This would wipe out over twice the profit estimated for 
last year. 

The question which naturally follows is whether the school should 
try to raise grain. As a matter of fact it does not, as is shown by the 
table of p. . ' 

Can and Should the Farm he made a Pacing Proposition ? 

The location of the farm is such that a profit can only be made by 
very intensive farming such as truck gardening. The farm is primar- 
ily for purposes of instruction and this should always be kept in mind. 
The question then is — can the farm be made to pay and still fulfill its 
function as a teaching agency? 

The pupils in the agricultural department of the school are osten- 
sibly there to learn farming. They wish to know something about the 
various kinds of farming. Some are interested particularly in dairy- 
ing, some in stock raising, some in grain farming, some in fruit farm- 
ing, etc. But from the standpoint of Wisconsin agriculture most of 
them are not primarily interested in grain farming, and the school rec- 
ognizes this and raises but little grain. It comes then to a question of 
whether truck gardening, dairying, fruit growing, etc., can be so done 
on the school farm as to teach successfully and still make money. 
This kind of farming is that used on farms of like location and value. 
Its ability to pay depends entirely on a correlation of the teaching 
function wath profitable farming. 

The school farm carries on each of these intensive activities to some 



— 54 — 

extent. Dairy and poultry produce last year sold for $4,800, pota- 
toes $1,260, berries and apples for $300. There are certain factors 
that enter here which reduce the return. 

1 . Much, or most, of the produce is sold to other county institu- 
tions. These buy at a cost lower than the market price. E. g., the 
county Home for Dependent Children buys milk, which is certified 
and would ordinarily sell at 8c, for SYzc; the school dormitory pays 
5c for this milk. 

2. The work is not done on a large scale. 

3. Much of the time on the field and in the dairy is -spent on work 
that the ordinary farm does not have, i. e., demonstration to pupils. 

On the other hand there are certain advantages that other farms do 
not have: 

1 . Constant expert advice and service always at hand and in charge. 

2. Free student labor. 

3. Large equipment, and opportunity and facilities for trying out 
advanced methods and processes. 

In the preceding discussion there have been indicated possible meth- 
ods of increasing the farm productiveness, 

1. A larger amount of truck gardening, fruit farming, etc. 

2. Credit farm with the market price of produce ■sold to other de- 
partments and institutions. 

3. Extend the idea of "learn to do by doing". 

4. Make fuller use of the expert advice, service, and of equipment 
and facilities at hand. 

On the first suggestion there can be little question. A truck farm 
efficiently conducted ought to pay. 

The second suggestion does not mean that the county institutions 
should pay more for the milk and supplies they get from the school. 
It simply means that in figuring returns such supplies should be figured 
by the school at the price which the institutions would have had to pay 
elsewhere. These accounts, should, of course, be kept separate from 
the actual cash and transfer accounts. An extra column would take 
care of them. The advantage of this method would lie in helping to 
give the actual cost for each institution concerned. It would show to 
what extent one institution was in reality helping to support another. 
Such information would be of value in making up budgets. 

Learning to do by doing is coming more and more to be an ac- 
cepted method of teaching. It is taking the place of demonstration in 
many fields of study. It is generally called practical field or project 
work. Agriculture seems especially fitted for this method. Directed 
work in place of demonstration is a field for experimentation which will 
have an educational value aside from that given to the pupils first con- 



— 55 — 

cerned. A direct application can be readily given. Milwaukee, as 
a large city, supports much truck gardening. At present a course in 
vegetable gardening is given at the school. The boys in the course 
are each given a plot 20x25 feet. This they must take care of till the 
end of the school year. The gardens are so arranged that after the 
pupils leave they can be cultivated with a cultivator. Would not the 
boys learn more about vegetables and more about large scale gardening, 
marketing of products, financial considerations, market needs and de- 
mands, etc., if they were required to put a little more time each day on 
a larger plot, not in individual parts, but worked in one large garden un- 
der the direction of the instructor? If the garden were then considered 
as a commercial proposition and the boys felt that they were part of the 
scheme and must make it pay, they would have a better training. 

It ha'3 been argued that the best boys will not work more than is nec- 
essary for demonstration purposes, and that the boys who will are not 
the kind who are wanted to work on the farm. The answer to this is 
that the fault lies with the teacher and not with the boys. Boys were 
observed doing manual labor under the direction of a teacher and they 
seemed eager and glad to do it. Another discouraged the attempts of 
the pupils to do more. A teacher can inspire the boys with a liking 
for and interest in the work. Most bo5rs have a natural interest in gar- 
den work, especially those who go to an agricultural school. If the 
boys are really interested in their work, if they want to know agricul- 
ture, they will not object to a little farm work. 

In the dairy the boys do some of the work, but it is just while they 
are taking a certain dairy course. Here no saving is affected because 
most of the boys are inexperienced and they must be help>ed. When 
the students were left alone for a week, milk production fell greatly. 
This should not be true of older students. Why can not part of their 
work be to assist and direct the Others? The boys who work in the 
dairy regularly are paid by the school. 

This is an important question in agricultural education. If boys 
can be taught agriculture better by being placed in touch with and tak- 
ing part in actual farm problems, there seems to be no reason why they 
should not be so taught. The system would be cheaper for the tax- 
payers, for the farm could be made to pay a part of the operating ex- 
penses of the school. It cannot be said without trial that such a system 
will not work in the Milwaukee school. It has never been tried. Only 
the most feeble attempts, under unfavorable conditions have been made. 
A strong attempt with a determination to use every possible resource Is 
necessary to work out a plan that will succeed. That an effort be made is 
a just demand' To permit the farm to work at less than its maximum 
production is an economic waste which is unjustifiable unless it is defi- 



— 56 — 

nitely shown that this waste is necessary to prevent greater waste in edu- 
cational production. This has not yet been shown and until proof is 
given one way or another the school will always work under the sus- 
picion of citizens that it is not using its opportunities in a fruitful way. 
If the boys really wish to know agriculture they will not object to more 
farm work. It is not expected that this extra work should take the 
place of the required farm experience. Even with the largest farm 
production, life at the school for the six hours a day would not approxi- 
mate the life on an ordinary farm. It is this life with its variety of oc- 
cupations and duties, its difficulties and limitations, that the boy wants in 
his actual farm experience. 

The mo3t important time of the year in agriculture is from March to 
November. During three of these months — the mid-summer months 
— the boys are not in school. Some of them are on farms, some are 
doing other work or no work. In order that the school should have 
the opportunity to teach the boys while they are getting practical expe- 
rience in the time when that experience can best be gained, a course 
extending through the summer months would be most beneficial, if prac- 
tical. Carried a point further, a school year extending from March 
to November, thu3 corresponding with the agricultural year, would per- 
mit the school to take the boys through an entire crop season. It would 
permit of carrying out the gardening and fruit projects completely. It 
would be a long step toward putting the farm on a paying basis. 

Two important objections will be made. 

1. Boys cannot be kept in school during the summer. Many of 
them must or will go out to work. 

2. What wall be done with the boys in the winter months? 

The first objection will be sound for many boys. But for others — 
those who do not have to work and tho-se who can be made to see 
the advantage of staying in school — the plan will work. The course 
could be made very valuable to the boys, and they could be shown the 
ultimate benefit of staying in school through the summer. A fairly 
large enrollment might be built up. 

The second objection has in mind the boys who would be out ot 
school without work in the winter montho. This could be overcome by 
filling this period in with regular school work. A system whereby part 
of the boys at a time could take a week's vacation in the summer would 
permit this. Such an all-the-year-round school would tend to raise the 
summer enrollment, for it would lessen the total length of the course by 
one year. 

One more consideration should enter into thfj problem of working 
the farm to more nearly its productive capacity. It is supposedly a 
model farm, a demonstration farm for the county. Yet if the farmer 



— 57 — 

ran his farm on the basis of the school farm he would go info bank- 
ruptcy. The school farm has model parts, small fieldj, plots, farm rec- 
ords, dairy plant, etc., but it is not a model whole. The farmer is im- 
pressed with a few details but not with the farm as a business. It is 
not a model after which he can pattern his farm. Specialized farmers 
can, indeed, learn but little, even from the details, because they are fa- 
miliar with what is on the school farm from their own experience. To 
these the only benefit comes from such students of the school as they 
may employ and whose specialized training may help them on the spe- 
cialized farm. Such pupils get to some extent, without the help of an 
instructor, what more extensive work with such assistance would have 
taught them much better and more quickly at school. 



58 — 



CHAPTER XIII 
THE SCHOOL FINANCES 



Financidd Reports 

There are two chief items to be considered in studying the efficiency 
of any school. One is the work being done — quantity and quality. 
This we have taken up in the preceding chapters. The other is the 
cost. Poorly done work would be expensive at even a low cost. 
Work which may be very good might be considered as not worth while 
if the cost is excessive. It might be very beneficial to the average man 
to hear a world renowned symphony orchestra give a concert, but if 
he were asked to pay $25 to hear it, the cost might conceivably out- 
weigh the benefit. A city might like very much to buy land for a new 
park, but it is conceivable that the cost would be too high. So, too, 
Milwaukee county may want to teach agriculture and domestic science 
in a special school- It can and is doing so. But one of the questions 
which must be answered is whether the cost is low, reasonable, or ex- 
cessive. If the work is poorly done and the price is low, it may be 
well to spend more for better work after attempt has been made to bet- 
ter work without increasing cost. If the work is poor at what would 
be reasonable coot for good work, the only remedy is to better work 
without increasing cost. If, again, the work is poor and the cost ex- 
cessive, radical measures are necessary. Either both work must be 
made good and the cost at the same time lowered, or else the county 
cannot afford to continue the school. The last is also an alternative if 
the work is good and the cost excessive. The other alternative is to 
lower cost without injuring work, or to increase quality of work with- 
out increasing cost. If work is good and cost either low or reasonable 
there can be no real objection to the school if it fills a real need in the 
county. Attention can then be given to opportunities for bettering an 
already satisfactory institution. 

The Milwaukee County school, together with all other such schools 
in the state, submits an annual report on enrollment, attendance, and 
finance to the state superintendent of public instruction. The Milwau- 
kee school had been in operation for three years up to July, 1915. 1 he 
reports for the three years are: 



50 — 



Days taught 

Teachers 

EnfTollment 

Boys 

Girls 

Graduates— Last year 

Boys 

Girls 

Graduates— Since organization 

Boys 

Girls 

Average age: 

Boys 

Girls 

Average daily attendance 

Adult specials (not included). 



191S-13 



161 

15 

^3 

192 

91' 















ITVa 
•20 
146 



1913-14 



193 

14 

309 

138 



18 

18 
128 
2 times per 
wk., 13 
wks., 50; 
daily, one 
wk., 150; 
summer, 2 
wks., 40 



1914-15 



185 

13 

191 

121 

m 

22 

19 

3 

30 

24 
6 

18 

15 
118 



CO — 



FINANCIAL. 



Keceipts 

Balance June 30 

State 

County appropriation . . 

Sales 

Reimbursement tor exp. 

ered by appropriation. 

Tuition 



Expenditures 

Superintendent 

Secretary, stenographer, book- 
keeper, librarian 

Heads of departments 

Assistants 

Labor in departments * 

Postage and stationery 

Printing 

School furniture 

Apparatus 

Subscriptions to periodicals 

Library and reference books... 

Guide 

Campus services 

General labor 

Janitors 

Fuel 

OU, etc 

Other: 

Horses and cattle 

Implements and tools 

Supplies 

Labor in departments 

Improvements 

Bepairs 



Balance 



1912-13 



$135,161.9et 
7,326.44 

9,145.18 



$131 



683.e0 
869.88 



3,372.23 

8,800.43 

6,633.42 

7,157.18 

977.77 

770.14 

2,549.88 

7,005.98 

49.70 

2,860.41: 



576.65 
,382.92 
,435.55 
131.34, 

893.82 
,562.99 
,174.16 



$11.1,236.48 



fa).397.12 



1913-14 



$20,307.12 
8,000.00 
37,175.16 
10.638.28 



136.00 



$76,256.56 
$2,319.74 

3,699.69 
13.499.67 

7,433.19 

3,208.79 
388.75 
942.10 
137.54 

1,598.08 

118.43 

139.22 

91.50 

3S8.10 



2.809.O1 

6,049.42 

193.39 



39.33 
9,610.28 
9,190.31 
2,262.69 

961.04 



$65,030.27 



$11,226.29 



1914-15 



$6,751.39 

7,000.00 
45,281.50 
10.141.93 



522.00 



^,696.82 
$2,600.00 

3,341.93 
10,369.70 

5,002.76 

2.949.92 
299.73 
864.47 
241.17 

1,344.90 

94.25 

271.68 



2.3^.61 

4.808.29 

85.64 

726.56 



7,276.24 

8,292.40 

1,371.85 

483.92 



$52,590.02 



$16,106.80 



Remainder 

not 

reapprop. 



(In 1915-16 
appro.) 



* Engineer, farm foreman, matron, only In last two years 
t For period Jan. 1, 1912, to June 30, 1913. 



— 61 — 

The fiscal year of the school corresponds with the calendar year. 
Up to the time of the change in administration the superintendent of 
the school made a quarterly financial statement to the county school 
board. The last report, made December 31, 1915, reported for the 
whole year. The accounting divisions are shown: 



Statement for year ending Dec. 31, 1915. 

Receipts : 

Amount on hand Dec. 31, 1914 $122 . 55 

1/5/15 Sales 9,999.90 

State aid 7,000.00 

1st quar. allowance for sals, and supplies. 8,406.00 

4/7/15 2nd quar. allowance 8,406.00 

Entire allowance for equipment 10,570.00 

7/22/15 3rd quar. allowance 8,406.00 

4/22/15 4th quar. allowance 8,406.00 

$61,316.45 



Disbursements 

Administration : 

Office $6,231.65 

School in general 4,338.32 

$10,569.97 

Academic subjects, department of 2,427.52 

Dairy " 7,557.33 

Domestic economy, " 3 , 433 . 53 

Dormitory 4,673.20 

Farm 6,135.27 

Farm mechanics " 3,424.58 

Library 1,291.08 

Horticulture " 4,390.45 

Light, heat and power 8 , 608 . 41 

Music " 300.41 

Poultry " 3,185.25 

$55,997.00 

Balance $5,319.45 



— 62 — 
DETAIL OP DISBURSEMENTS 



Department 



Administration: 

Office 

School in general 

Dairy 

Domestic Economy — 

Dormitory 

Farm 

Farm mechanics 

Horticulture 

Library 

Light, beat and power 

Music 

Poultry 

Academic subjects 



Salaries 



J40.56 
,406.16 
,093.22 
,518.14 
,777.06 
0^2.60 
,819.96 
960.82 
8n.50 
708.26 
2M.33 
,O©4.80 
800.92 



$36,067.50 



Supplies 



$i,oe2.ai 

1,428.54 

2,646.89 

744.01 

2,683.06 

1,800.61 

264.34 

242.83 

115.21 

4,897.15 

47.68 

546.91 

3.80 



$16,442.67 



Equipment 



$8.75 
508.62 
817.22 
171.38 
263.09 
381.97 
350.38 
196.80 
298. ,37 
8.00 



543.45 
23.80 



,516.83 



Total 



$6,231.66 
4,338.32 
7,557.33 
3,433.68 
4,673.20 
6.136.27 
3,424.58 
4,390.46 
1,291.06 
8,606.41 
300.41 
3,185.26 
2,427.5(2 



$56,997.00 



History 

The cost for the first year of operation as shown by the reports to the 
state superintendent is much higher than for any other year. This is 
due to the fau;t that during the first year much apparatus, furniture and 
suppHes were bought. It is also to be noted that more was paid for 
salaries, probably because of large enrollment, and that text books were 
purchased — a policy which has been discontinued. This year also in- 
cludes receipts for a previous half year. Total cost has decreased since, 
but so, also, has total enrollment. 



Receipts — analysis 

Of the $68,696.82 received for the year 1914-15, $7,000 came 
from state aid. The previous year the state aid was $8,000. Even 
had the attendance been kept up to the 1912-13 mark a change in the 
state law would have prevented the school from reciving mor- than 
$7,000 in 1914-15. $55,423.43 was the appropriation of the 
county. Of this $10,141.93 was made up of moneys returned by the 
school to the county- This money came from sales and service per- 
formed by the school, such as sale of farm products and dormitory re- 
ceipts. To the extent of these sales the cost of the school is offset. From 
tuition there was received $522. Tuition is paid by the counties from 
which the pupils come and is charged to all from outside of Milwaukee 
County. The balance item was originally $1 1,226.29. Of this the 



— 63 — 

county board withdrew $5,474.90, reappropriating $5,751.39. This 
report is made out so as to end in the middle of tfie school's fiscal year 
and it is probable that the balances do not mean much at such a time. 
The total receipts for the year were $68,696.82. 

Expenditures — analysis 

Total expenditures for the year 1914-15 were $52,590.02. Of 
this capital expenditures, furniture, equipment, etc., cost $3,956.16. 
Operation expenditures, $48^633,86, were divided as follows: admin- 
istration, $5,941 .93; instruction salaries, $15,372.46; labor, $13,- 
606.93; supplies, fuel, etc., $12,364.15; other, $1,348.39. The 
balance remaining was $1 6, 1 06.80. According to the superintendent's 
report of December 31, 1915, the amount on hand at the end of the 
year was $122.55. 

Administration takes 1 2 per cent of the total operating cost. 

Instruction salaries take 32 per cent of the total operating cost. 

Labor takes 28 per cent of the total operating cost. 

Supplies take 25 per cent of the total operating cost. 

Other takes 3 per cent of the total operating cost. 

These percentages and figures are surprising. Only 32 per cent of 
the total operating expense goes into teaching salaries. Only a slightly 
smaller percentage goes for labor. Supplies cost 25 per cent. That 
the salary proportion would be smaller in an agricultural school than in 
an ordinary secondary school is to be expected. The labor item would 
be expected to be high, also. But whether the difference should be so 
large is another matter. If farming were done on a large scale, as sug- 
gested in the preceding chapter, this proportion might be justifiable, for 
then more of the labor would actually be teaching. The reasons for the 
relatively small proportion for instructional salaries and the relatively 
large proportion for labor and supplies will be found in the cost of the 
upkeep of the too extensive plant, in the amount of hired labor, and in 
the coanfipieteness of the supplies purchased. 

Extension 

The cost of extension has already been approximately worked out in 
the chapter on extension (Chapter XI). No separate account is kept for 
this item. The estimated cost of $8,105-64 is distributed among the 
various other items both in the report to the state and in the report of the 
superintendent to the board. As soon as possible extension costs should 
be separated from other costs. 

Per capita costs 

An accepted basis for calculating per capita cost has not as yet been 
anywhere worked out. Whenever such costs are given they must be ac- 



— G4 — 

companied with an explanation of the method used, and whit the cost 
found means. In this report per capita costs will be given on several 
different bases. 

1. Gross per capita cost (all expenditures divided by average daily 

attendance) . 

2. Gross operating cost per capita (eliminating capital expenditures) . 

3. Gross operating per capita cost ( including interest on investment) . 

4. Per capita cost as in 3 but eliminating extension and reducing 

average daily attendance by eliminating extension students. 

5. Per capita cost to taxpayers (as in 4 but eliminating also amounts 

offset by sales). 

Numbers 4 and 5 are the two methods which are recommended as 
accounting in the most satisfactory and complete way for all considera- 
tions. Number 4 is the total cost per student in regular attendance. 
This gives everything without regard to source of funds. Number 5 
gives total cost to taxpayers and should be used in determining net cost 
to the county and state. The first three methods are given for purposes 
of illustration and explanation. 

Before giving the results and methods for each of these bases, we 
shall insert the method worked out by the superintendent of the school, 
and the result submitted to the county board of administration in a letter 
dated January 28, 1916. 

Total available for year 1915 $61 , 194 . 00 

Appropriation for equipment $10,570.00 

Returned to county treasurer 10,110.05 

Supplies on hand January 1, 1916.... I,l60.00 

Deficit made up 2,500.00 

Total deductions 24,280.05 

Total operating coat 1915 $36,913.95 

Conservative estimate of value of extension work 

(1/6 of total operating cost) 6,152.32 

Cost of instructional work $30, 761. 63 

Cost of instructional work per quarter 7,690.40 

Total enrollment regular students 198 

Cost per capita last quarter 1915 (dividing cost per 

quarter by total enrollment) $38 . 84 

Does not include work with dependent home children. 40 enrolled. 
This method is subject to several vital criticisms. 

1 . It is based on appropriations instead of on expenditures — that is. 
it gives what it is expected the cost will be rather than what it is. 

2. The deduction for equipment assumes that equipment is not a cost. 
Either the total equipment or a proportional charge should be included. 
Actual expenditures for equipment in 1915 were $3,516.83. 



— 65 — 

3. No allowance is made for capital invented. 

4. Supplies on hand are deducted, though the supplies items is an an- 
nual cost and this same amount may have been carried over from the 
previous year. 

5. Returns to county treasurer are deducted. (This h an explana- 
tion, not a criticism. It means that the cost found is a net cost to teix- 
payers, not a total cost of teaching the pupil.) 

6. While cost of extension is subtracted the total enrollment given 
includes some vv^hose v/ork was considered in extension cost. 

7- Cost per quarter is determined by dividing total cost by four, 
though students are at school for only three terms, which would corre- 
spond to three quarters. If the cost per quarter is multiplied by four 
to find the annual per capita cost this criticism does not hold. 

8. Total enrollment is used as a divisor. Total enrollment is no in- 
dication of actual attendance. It puts the two weeks' student on the 
same basis as the year student. Average daily attendance is the near- 
est approach to actual attendance. Average daily attendance for 
1914-15 including some extension students was 1 1 8. 

Method No. /* 

This is the simplest and least scientific way p>ossible. It is given here, 
merely because it is so often used by those who are not familiar with ac- 
tual conditions. The total expenditures are divided by the average 
daily attendance. 

Total expenditures $52 , 590 . 02 

Averaxre daily attendance 118 

Cost per pupil $445 . 68 

This figure cannot be taken as actual per capita cost. It does, of 
course, represent the amount of money which would not be spent if the 
school were not in existence. 

Method No. 2 

In this case we follow the method of No. 1 but eliminate expendi- 
ture's for capital 

Total expenditures $52,590.02 

Capital expenditures 3 , 956 . 16 

Operating expenditures $48 ,633 . 86 

Average daily attendance 118 

Cost per pupil $412 . 15 

It is assumed here that capital expenditures are not charges that can 
be considered in cost per student. If there were new buildings their 



• All flg-ures used in this and following methods are tor 1914-15. For 
reasons aJready given average daily attendance will be used for num- 
ber of pupils. 



— 66 — 

cost would here be excluded. So, also, with any charge on past invest- 
ment. This method is open to the same objections as the preceding 
one. 

Method No. 3 

Total expenditures $52,590.02 

Capital expenditures 3 , 956 . 16 

Operating expenditures $48 , 633 . 86 

Add interest on investment (346,000 at 5%) 17,300.00 

$65,933.86 

Average daily attendance 118 

Cost per pupil $558 . 76 

In figuring cost per pupil money invested for necssary land, build- 
ings and equipment is part of actual cost. All of this cannot be 
charged to the students attending in the year when purchased or built, 
for in that case 1912-13 pupils would have been charged with an in- 
vestment cost of over $300,000. The equitable way is to distribute 
it according to benefit, and perhaps the best way of doing this is by 
means of an interest charge. If the term is not felt to be suitable, 
some other name (e. g., capital percentage, investment charge) may 
be used. 

Method No. 4 

Total expenditures $52 , 590 . 02 

Capital expenditures 3 ,956. 16 



Total operation $48 ,633 . 86 

Deduct extension (1/6 of total operation) 8,105.64 

$40,528.22 
Deduct dormitory 4,400.00 

Net operation for regular pupils $36,128.22 

Average daily attendance 108 

Cost per pupil (without capital charge) $334.52 

Capital charge per pupil 160 . 19 

Total cost per pupil $494 . 71 

This last figure, $494.71, is the total cost per year for teaching one 
pupil. It is the figure which should be used when sources of funds 
are not considered. It is tlie answer to the question — "What is the 
total cost of educating one pupil one year?" The average daily at- 
tendance is reduced to 1 08. TTie original figure of 11 8 includes some 
that are for cost purposes considered as extension. All short and spe- 
cial course students, including summer session and dependent home pu- 
pils, are called extension in dealing with exten.sion cost. This is in ac- 



— 67 — 

cordance with the poHcy of the school. Since extension cost is elim- 
inated, extension pupils ihould also be eliminated. It is usual in figur- 
ing per capita costs for schools not to include a capital charge. If it 
is desired to make comparisons with other schools, it is safer to use the 
figure without a capital charge unless it is known that the other schools 
have made such a charge. Dormitory cost is deducted because the 
cost of rooming and boarding pupils is not part of teaching and it is off- 
set by receipts from pupils for this purpose. 

Method No. 5 

Total expenditures $52,590.02 

Deductions 

Capital expenditures $3,956.16 

Extension 8,105.64 

Sales, etc 10.141.93 

Total 22,203.73 

Net cost to county and state $30,386.29 

Average daily attendance 108 

Cost per pupil without capital charge $281.35 

Capital charge per pupil 160 . 19 

Total cost per pupil $441 . 54 

The difference between this and No. 4 is that in this method we 
find the total cost to the county and state of teaching one regular full 
time pupil. To find this there is deducted from total cost the amount 
offset by moneys returned by the school to the county treasury. 
These come from the sale of school products, from the dormitory, etc. 
The final figure is $441.54 and is the correct figure to give when the 
total per capita cost to the county and state is asked for. The effort 
has here been made to give a fair and complete statement of per capita 
cost. Every item excluded or included has been explained. The 
method used by the superintendent of the school has been given with 
reasons why it is considered unsatisfactory. The method and result 
which it is felt are the most scientific and thoro have been indicated 
and are here recommended as the conclusion of the survey. Discussion 
of these costs will be taken up in the summary of finances at the end 
of this chapter. 

Per capita costs for the three ^ears of operation of the school 

In finding per capita cost for the two preceding years the last meth- 
od given is used. Capital investment was obtained by subtracting from 
present value the additions made each year. Extension was estimated 
at $6,000 for 1912-13 and $7,000 for 1913-14. Average daily 
attendance was reduced to 1 40 the first year and to 1 30 the second 



— 68 — 

year, so as to eliminate extension pupils. These figures are all as ac- 
curate as is possible with available data. 

1912-13 1913-14 1914-15 

Cost per pupil, operation $335 . 98 $332 . 42 $281 . 35 

Cost per pupil, capital charge. . 103.93 131.54 160.19 

Total per pupil $439.91 $463.96 $441.54 

Operating costs per pupil decreased slightly the second year and 
substantially last year. On the other hand, capital has been added at 
a rate which, when considered with the decrease in students, has forced 
up the total cost till last year's exceeds the first year's. 



Dormitory) costs 

TTie dormitory k self-supporting if no account is taken of the in- 
vestment. That is, it could be run at a profit as a private business if 
the building did not cost anything. 

For the year 1915 receipts and expenditures were 
Receipts 

Cash (regular roomers and boarders) $4,106.80 

Cash (extra meals) 223 . 95 

Transfers from other departments. 97.35 

Total $4,428.10 

Total expenditures 4,393.23 

Profit $34.87 

The building has accommodations for forty pupils. The highest 
number in residence at any one time this year was thirty-seven. The 
present number is twenty. While the dormitory for the year is self 
supporting, if investment is not considered, it would run at a substan- 
tial profit if it were kept full. Residence at the dormitory, including 
board, costs $4.75 per week. The question which comes up, and 
which the superintendent is considering, is whether if the rate were re- 
duced more pupils would not reside in the dormitory. At present it is 
run on an unbusinesslike basis. 



Class costs 

By class costs is meant pupil cost per period for a single cla.ss. In 
this will be included only salary cost. The method used in finding this 
is as follows 
Soils 

Nine pupils in class 

Teacher's salary is $1 13.33 per month 



— 69 — 



Teacher's salary is $1.03 per class hour 

(26 hours of instruction per week — 1 10 hours per month) 
Cost i>er pupil per hour, $.1 1 44 

($1.03 divided by 9, number in class) 
Cost per hundred puipl hours $1 1.44. 
All of teaching is charged to instruction for all of the work that 
teachers do — preparing lessons, correcting papers, outside work, class- 
room work, etc. — is either directly or indirectly instructional work. 
The teacher's function is to teach, and all the work he does is charge- 
able to teaching. A possible exception is extension work. This, for 
direct aid to farmers, would take, according to the superintendent, one 
man's time two days a week. This is almost negligible for the whole 
faculty. Special classes are included in the number of teaching hours. 
Any other work is too small to make any material change in the results. 
This list does not include all subjects. Where two figures are given 
for the same they represent different sections. 

Per 100 pupil 
Per pupil period periods 

Soils $.1144 $11.44 

Chemistry .0572 5.72 

Cereals .0343 3.43 

American History .1206 12.06 

Horticulture .0996 9.96 

Fruit Growing . 1433 14.33 

Botany .0764 7.64 

Plant Propagation . 0764 7 . 64 

Plant Propagation . 2292 22.92 

Civics .2153 21.53 

Drawing .1435 14.35 

Drawing .2463 24.63 

Drawing . 1076 10 . 76 

Forging .1076 10.76 

Forging . 2463 24. 63 

Carpentry .0700 7.00 

Dairy Cattle .1347 13.47 

Stock Judging .1835 18.35 

Milk Inspection .0864 8.64 

English .1165 11.65 

English .0458 4.58 

Elementary Poultry . 1049 10 . 49 

Sewing .0800 8.00 

Textiles .0889 8.89 

Advanced Cooking . 1600 16.00 

Arithmetic .1350 13.50 

Household Management ... .2632 26.32 

Extension Cooking . 0267 2 . 67 

These costs represent only the instructional salary cost. Some of 
them are high and these are usually due to high salaried men with 
small classes. The cost of stock judging, for example, $18.35 per 
hundred pupil periods, or $183.50 per 1,000 pupil periods, is excess- 



70 — 



iv€. This class has eleven pupils and the teacher's salary is $1,820 
a year. Such cost figures kept up from year to year would help to 
show where costs were increasing and why. 



Accounting 

A new accounting system has recently been installed for the eight 
institutions under the board of administration. This system centralizes 
accounting in the general office. Its influence will be seen after it has 
had time to work thru a year or more. 



Purchasing 

Purchasing has also been centralized to some extent. The school 
still orders directly such supplies as are not common to all institutions. 
An effective checking system is in use in the school office. An experi- 
enced purchasing agent in charge of all purchasing would be able to ef- 
fect savings in all county institutions. 

Budget Methods and Procedure 

Budget methods used are indefensible. The faculty submit to the 
superintendent their estimated needs. The superintendent revises as he 
sees fit, and submits them to the board of administration. After they 
approve, with such changes as they desire to make, the estimates are 
sent to the board of supervisors. The superintendent appears before 
this board to explain the budget. After it is passed by this board it be- 
comes the financial authorization for the year. 

The budget shows only requests. 

No comparisons are given 

No cost figures are given 

No other supporting information of any kind is included 

No investigation is made by any higher authority 

No past expenditures are shown 

Enrollment and attendance figures are not included 

Work accomplished is not shown, nor are future plans with esti- 
mated costs 

The budget is merely a collection of estimated needs. The first 
page contains the summary 



71 — 



BUDGET, 1916 — SUMMARY* 



Depaxtment 



Academic subjects 
Administration . . . 



Dairy 

Domestic economy 



Dormitory 



rarm accounting 
Farm crops 



Parm mechanics 

Horticulture 

Janitor 



Library 

Light, heat and power. 



Music 

Poultry and bees. 



Salaries 



$2,400.00 
4,870.00 
5,890.00 
4,290.00 
2,515.00 

1,704.00 

2,0OJ,.0O 
1,200.00 
3,920.00 
J,,520.00 
2:,860.00 
4,644.00 
11,620.00 
2,S61.00 
925.00 
3,360.00 
S.SGO.OO 



Supplies 



$3,025.00 

1,796.00 
1,026.00 
1,026.50 
2,60&.00 
2,750.00 
•25.00 
983.00 

5€6'.0O 
450.00 
270.00 

140.00 

6,3S8.^ 



Equipment 



$225.00 
200.00 



1,385.00 
265.00 



lOO.OO 



85.00 
820.00 



100.00 
685.00 



500.00 
120.00 



Total 



$2,625.00 
8,095.00 
9,115.00 
7.470.00 
3,806.00 
S, 806. 50 
4.410.00 
J,,85J,.00 
1,310.00 
5. 723.00 
6,323.00 
3,525.00 
5.779.00 
1,890.00 
S,U1.00 
1,185.00 
9,606.48 
S,898.i8 



Totals. 



300.00 
2,350.00 



S5.00 
695.00 



1,270.00 



$36,819.00 
^39,819.00 



$17,9a8.4« 
$J8, 097.98 



$5,255.00 
$5,755.00 



SS5.00 

4, .315.00 



$50,831.48 
^3,671.98 



SUGGESTED GENERAL IMPROVEMENTS 

Fixing up road,— lighting and curb $1,500.00 

Superintendent's home 2,500.00 

New heating plant 25,000.00 

Auto truck 2,000.00 

Green bouses 5,000.00 

rarm tractor 1,000.00 



W,000.00 
$1,500.00 



The italic figures are the requests which were denied. The figures 
above are the actual allowances. It is noticeable that of $37,000 
for suggested general improvements only $1,500 was allowed. On the 
information given these reductions must have been arbitrarily made. 
The detail was given in the following form 



♦This table as taken from the school budget does not check exactly. 



— 72- 

Departmont of Academic Subjects 
Salaries 

Head 

Extra help 

Equipment 



($400 extra help for new instructor. If granted 1/3 of salary 

chargeable to present year) 
Department of Administration and School in General 

Salaries 



etc. 
Eunning expense 



etc. 
Equipment 



etc. 

This shows the entire amount of detail and information given. 
The following cuts and eliminations were made 

Department of Administration 

Bookkeeper (bookkeeping transferred to general 

office) $1,020.00 

Department of Domestic Economy 

Sewing laboratory supplies .50 

Dormitory 

1 maid 300.00 

Groceries, butcher, milk 144.00 

Farm crops 

2 hired men (6 mos.) 600 . 00 

Janitor 

1 assistant janitor $696.00 

1 janitor 90 . 00 

;? assistant janitors (students 9 mos. 

each) 540.00 

Extra help for special occasions 75.00 



$1,401.00 

This total was cut 741 . 00 

Vacuum cleaner for administration building 500.00 

Light, heat and power 

Engineer from 1400 to 1200 200.00 

Music 

Salaries 300.00 

Supplies 35 . 00 



Total salary cuts below requests (not reductions on 

present salary ) $3,161.00 

Total supplies budget cuts 179.50 

Total equipment budget cuts 500.00 

$3,840.50 
Suggested improvements cut 35,500.00 



— 73 — 

Even with these cuts there was an increase over 1915 expenditures 
of over $5,000.00 and this in the face of a decreasing attendance. 
The expenditures for the year 1915, as shown in the report of Decem- 
ber 31, 1915, are given in the early part of this chapter. 

Can the county board of administration, and the county board cf 
supervisors know how much money the school needs without a com- 
parison of expenditures and requests, without detailed cost ligure.> of 
the kind shown in this report, and without further detailed supporting 
data? 

The budget should show for every item of request the expenditures 
for tlie previous year or two years, increase or decrease requested with 
reason for change, and a program of work expected to be accomp- 
lished in the year for which the budget is made with estimates of co*3ts 
for this work. 

Information needed by budget body 

Requests — detail and summary 

Past expenditures — detail and summary 

Increases and decreases — detail and summary 

Reasons for changes 

Pel capita costs 

Class costs 

Farm costs — expenses and sales 

Departmental costs of all kinds 

Work program for year 

Summar]) of Finance 

The history of the school shows that ever since its beginning it has 
been working on an inflated basis of cost. It has the habit of extrav- 
agance so firmly fixed that it feels that any extensive cut in its support 
would be impossible. Per capita cost is excessive. $335.00 per pu- 
pil per year, which counts no charge for investment, is indefensible. 
That such cost should have continued year after year is due to infla- 
tion in the beginning which has not been overcome, small and decreas- 
ing number of pupils, too extensive equipment, inadequate budget 
methods, and the attempt, perhaps unconscious, to teach boys and 
girls of high school age and preparation in a plant suitable for a small 
college. Even the best of results would not justify the cost, and the 
short-comings noted in this report do not show that the work is of the 
best. Cost ought to be very materially reduced and the work in many 
directions materially bettered before the taxpayers of Milwaukee 
County can feel that they are securing returns commensurate with their 
initial and annual investment. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



IPII1I 



QQDE74HflDai 



